Just Two Innocent Bystanders
by Nalasan
Summary: They couldn't deny that watching these guys was their favourite pastime... The story of Kurt and Blaine, told through the eyes of our most beloved Warblers! -Complete-
1. Special Education

**Disclaimer: _This story is for non-profit use and reader's enjoyment only. All creative rights concerning Glee, it's characters and any sayings and/or lyrics quoted here belong to their original creator(s)/artist(s)._**

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><p><strong><em>"Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today." ~ Robert McAfee Brown<em>**

_Ever since mankind discovered the joy of story-telling (which was roughly 200,000 years ago, when humans discovered that their mouths were made for other things besides chewing on raw meat. They immediately dumped sign language in order to make noises: partly to communicate better with each other, partly just to annoy the hell out of their fellow cave-men), people have told each other millions of stories, and still, there are twice as many that never actually have been told._

_Some of these stories were about love, some about war, some about friendship, some about history, some about grief, some about learning, some about change._

_This particular story features many of these themes, too._

_It's about friendship, it's about fitting in, it's about being disappointed._

_It's about accepting each other, it's about forgiving each other, it's about helping each other._

_It's about being who you are and finding love in the most unusual ways._

_One question remains, though: who does this story belong to?_

_Does it belong to the people it's about?_

_Or does it belong to the people who are telling you about them?_

_Just whose story are you listening to, exactly?_

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><p>"Do you think he's very disappointed?"<p>

Nick looked up from the sheet music resting on his thigh to glance at his best friend who was sitting next to him. Jeff's forehead was furrowed and he was gnawing on his bottom lip – which usually indicated that something was bothering him immensely.

"Who is?" Nick asked, unable to follow Jeff's train of thought. Ten minutes ago, when they settled on Nick's bed to practise their songs for the second audition, Jeff had been completely psyched, practically bouncing up and down on the mattress. Even the fact that he would be competing against his best friend hadn't bothered him – he just claimed how awesome it was that at least _one_ of them was bound to get a freaking solo for Sectionals.

Now he looked something between guilty and concerned.

"Kurt," he said, looking at Nick in a who-else-would-I-be-talking-about-manner. "Because he didn't move on."

Nick tipped his head sideways, curious to where this conversation would be going. "Yeah, he probably is. I mean, I know I would be disappointed," he added, remembering the three times his auditions had been unsuccessful.

Jeff tugged at a loose thread in Nick's comforter. "It's just... I feel really sorry for him."

Surprised at Jeff's sudden concern for the newest Warbler, Nick gently swatted Jeff's hand away from the comforter, but otherwise remained silent. Unable to keep his hands still, Jeff settled on tearing tiny pieces of paper from his sheet music, staring into space with a thoughtful expression. Finally, just as Nick started to grow impatient, he voiced his concern: "I mean... I just guess it's really hard for him, you know? Leaving his old school, coming here, being the new kid, probably being all uncomfortable about it, then getting the chance to prove himself and _then_ being brushed off, just like that."

Nick nodded slowly. None of them really knew for sure what had happened at Kurt's old school. A few days ago, Blaine had called an emergency meeting, telling them about this new friend who was going to transfer to Dalton, and would most likely be joining the Warblers. He only hinted at the reasons behind Kurt transferring, letting slip that it had something to do with bullying, but he really didn't need to elaborate.

All of them knew Blaine's story and the reasons why _he_ transferred to Dalton more than a year ago. Seeing him so worked up about another student's transfer, they had all drawn their own conclusions.

Nick and Jeff had talked about it (although the council generally disapproved of any gossiping going on, but hey, what they did in their room was their own business, wasn't it?) and felt their speculations confirmed when they got to meet Kurt. He didn't seem to lack self-confidence in general, but they could see that he had no clue how to fit in at Dalton yet, and at the same time was desperately trying to.

They had been surprised when they heard that Kurt also had been invited to audition for a solo at Sectionals. Normally, no new Warblers were given this opportunity, and they had a strong feeling that Blaine and his influence on the council had something to with it. But more than anything else, they had been curious about his talent as a singer.

Nick fondly remembered Kurt's version of "Don't cry for me, Argentina."

"Well," he said, just realizing that Jeff was still watching him, patiently waiting for an answer. "His voice is really awesome. I guess it was mainly his song selection that the council didn't approve of."

Jeff nodded. He had chosen to perform Howie Day's "Collide" while Nick had settled on "More than a feeling" by Boston. Both of them knew from experience that classics or Top40 songs were the safest way to audition in front of Wes, David and Thad.

"And I think," Nick continued. "With a voice like his, he won't have any problems getting solos in the future. Okay, it didn't work out this time, but as soon as the council thinks he's fitting in alright, he'll get his chance."

Jeff, already looking happier, nodded again. Suddenly, he frowned: "Did you get his canary joke?"

Nick shook his head. "I got the reference, just not the humour."

"It's just... nobody laughed," Jeff said. Nick snorted: "Of course nobody laughed. They were all afraid of Thad pointing out that we 'do not mock the canaries'."

"Now Kurt probably thinks we're a bunch of dapper-looking, ambitious, prep-school-boy-stick-in-the-muds."

Nick grinned. "I'm sure he doesn't think that about _all_ of us. Didn't you see Blaine cracking up?"

"He was?"

"He totally was."

Jeff grinned, then got serious again.

"Do you think he's gay?"

"You mean Kurt?"

Jeff nodded.

"Well, taking into consideration the dreamy eyed looks he is giving Blaine all the time as well as the fact that he's using words like "show-biz-panache" in his everyday language – I'd probably said: Yes, he is," Nick answered.

"It must be really hard for him," Jeff said, returning to the original point of their discussion. "I mean, I don't know what he had to go through at his old school, but I wish we could make this whole thing easier for him."

Smiling at the blonde boy, Nick patted Jeff's shoulder reassuringly. "Maybe we could help him. You know, show him that he's welcomed here. That he doesn't need to try so hard, 'cause he's alright just the way he is."

Jeff beamed at his best friend, eyes lit up, and asked enthusiastically: "So what are we gonna do?"

Nick looked at Jeff's lap that was covered with the remains of his sheet music. Suddenly he grinned.

"I have the perfect idea."

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><p>"I can't believe you guys just threw the competition," Blaine said, staring at the two boys in front of him. Even though he just had informed them that neither of them was going to get a solo at Sectionals, their content and happy expressions didn't falter for so much as a second. It was quite unnerving.<p>

"We didn't throw the competition," Nick protested. Jeff chimed in: "Yeah. We just decided on auditioning with a duet rather than two solos. That's been done before."

He paused, frowned and turned to his best friend. "It _has_ been done before, right?"

Blaine stared at them for a second before opening his mouth again.

"You auditioned for a solo lead at Sectionals."

"Yep."

"With a duet."

"Right."

"You auditioned for a solo lead at Sectionals by singing "If You Were Gay" with the guy you were originally competing _against_?"

"So?" Nick asked innocently. "What's the big deal? I thought the best thing about our school was tolerance and acceptance and us getting along with each other. Well," he added as an afterthought. "That and the bagels in the cafeteria."

"Yeah", Jeff added. "What's wrong with two guys discussing the possibility of being interested in the same sex in song?"

Blaine just continued to stare at them. Finally, he said: "Since you have been part of the Warblers even longer than I have, I assume you know Wes, David and Thad very well. And I'm having a hard time believing that even in the craziest part of your brains the idea of singing Avenue Q _and_ getting a solo lead at Sectionals made any sense at all. Especially," he added. "with you performing it the way you did."

Later, the Warblers (minus the council) would agree on the word "epic" being the appropriate term for Nick's and Jeff's performance. But at this very moment, all Blaine could remember was Nick and Jeff hopping on and over furniture while doing their chaotic rendition of the most beloved Avenue Q song.

It had been fun, it had been heartfelt, it had been flirty – it had been anything but Sectionals material. Blaine could still see Wes' face as he said: "Maybe it is a little too early for them to deal with the responsibility of a solo lead. I truly believe they have yet to understand what the Warbler's legacy is about."

"Kurt seemed to like it."

Blaine snapped out of his thoughts: "What?"

"Kurt," Nick repeated. "Your new best friend. Tall, slender, always having that sceptical look on his face? He seemed to like it."

Blaine thought about that for a second, and had to admit that Nick was right. Kurt's eyes had been shining with excitement during the whole performance and he had applauded most enthusiastically in the end.

Not that Blaine had been watching him.

"Anyways, thanks for your support Blaine," Jeff said, clapping their lead vocalist on the back. "It just wasn't meant to be. Me or Nick getting the solo, I mean. Maybe next time."

"Don't be too disappointed", Blaine said, ready to comfort them even though they didn't seem like they needed any pity or reassurance.

"We aren't," Nick assured him. "But we really gotta go now, we're meeting Kurt in the cafeteria."

Blaine blinked. "You're doing what?"

"We're meeting Kurt in the cafeteria," Nick repeated patiently. "He and I have French together and I offered to help him catch up with the literature we've been doing."

"And I'm pretty sure after seeing us doing Avenue Q, he wants to recruit us to convince the council to add more broadway to our set-lists," Jeff added. Judging by his cheerful expression, he didn't seem to mind that in the least.

"Later, Blaine," Nick called over his shoulder as he followed Jeff down the hallway.

If they had stayed, maybe they could have helped Blaine figure out that weird feeling deep down inside his stomach, a strange mixture of jealousy, hope, joy, envy and longing. But even if they had stayed with him, they probably had refused to help him.

They would have wanted him to figure it out on his own.

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><p><em>AN: Yep, I am writing a Niff story - just because I love these guys way too much and I can't accept the lack of Warblers we will be facing now in the last four episodes! Also, Riker and Curt... I mean, what's not to love?  
><em>

_This will basically be the story of Kurt and Blaine as it happens in the original series - with Nick and Jeff filling in all the moments that were actually missing on screen (I have a loooooong 'Blame it on the alcohol' chapter planned. Because this episode is missing so freaking much). Also, Nick and Jeff will not developing any romantic feelings for each other in this story. As much as I enjoy reading stories about them as a couple - to me, they will stay best friends. (Maybe I'll write a story about them as a couple someday, who knows.) But don't worry - I'm a sucker for subtext. And there will be a looooot of subtext in here, I can promise you that =D _

_Also: "If You were gay?" **PERFECT** Niff Song! I need more AvenueQ on glee..._

_The next chapter is almost finished and will naturally deal with "A very glee christmas"! Please let me know what you thought about it so far!  
><em>

_~ Nalasan_

_P.S. I didn't forget about my Klaine stories! 'Sanctuary' will be updated soon, I promise!_ ;)


	2. A Very Glee Christmas

**Disclaimer: _This story is for non-profit use and reader's enjoyment only. All creative rights concerning Glee, it's characters and any sayings and/or lyrics quoted here belong to their original creator(s)/artist(s)._**

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><p><em>"A sense of curiosity is nature's original school of education." ~ Smiley Blanton<em>

_"Curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last. " ~ Samuel Johnson_

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><p>"Kurt, you know that I am incredibly fond of you and that I am forever grateful for your patience with me and French vocab, but if you continue to hum that song, I swear, I will be forced to throw something at you," Nick said, glaring at the young countertenor who was sitting across the table.<p>

Jeff looked up from his essay just in time to see Kurt stop humming mid-tune, frowning at his best friend. What Jeff surprised most about Nick's statement wasn't him being annoyed (because honestly, Kurt _had_ been humming this damn song non-stop for the past three days and it was starting to get on Jeff's nerves as well) but his frank confession of being fond of Kurt.

Nick normally was the kind of guy that was very reserved around new people. While Jeff got along with almost everybody immediately, Nick wasn't very quick in befriending other people. He usually took his time watching and getting to know them before he opened up to them. But once he decided on liking someone, you could rely on him staying by that person loyally and faithfully no matter what.

Jeff was speaking from experience.

However, it seemed that Kurt was the exception to the rule. It took him no longer then a few weeks until Nick started referring to him as "a friend" – something that nobody else had accomplished in such a short amount of time.

Well, except for Jeff himself, of course. But that was something different.

"I am immensely sorry Nicholas, but I was under the impression that Christmas time actually _is_ the perfect time to hum Christmas tunes," Kurt replied, left eyebrow arched. Nick just snorted in reply, "It's not about you humming Christmas tunes, Kurt. It's about you humming that particular song for... I don't know, the past week?"

"Yeah," Jeff chimed in. "Any particular reason why "Baby it's cold outside" is your favourite Christmas song, Kurt? Because I'd totally took you for the "Deck the halls"-type."

Jeff counted on Kurt replying with a snarky comment on outdated holiday songs. Neither he nor Nick had expected Kurt to blush, and, avoiding their eyes by looking at his homework as if there was something terribly fascinating about it, replying, "No. What makes you think that?"

The grin on Jeff's face grew wider. "Wait. So there _is_ a reason for this song being your favourite?"

Kurt frowned at him, but before he could answer, Nick already continued to inquire: "Is the reason something involving a mistletoe?"

"Or a baking-session that started rather innocently but turned into something pretty mature after a food-fight while this song was playing on the radio?"

"Or being snowed in and making out in front of a fireplace by candle-light?"

"Or a snow-ball-fight?"

"Geez, Jeff, what on earth would be romantic about a snow-ball-fight?"

"If you don't know that, Nick, than you clearly haven't watched enough sappy, romantic Christmas movies."

"Oh, you mean the kind of movies your mum forces me to watch with your whole family every time I visit you during the Christmas holidays?"

"First of all – you only visited me like _two_ times, it's not like we know each other since kindergarten. And second – _I_ wasn't the one sobbing at "Love Actually"!"

"Because you were too busy stuffing your mouth with cookies to pay any attention to the movie in the first place!"

"My mum's cookies are delicious!"

"I'm not denying that, I just always wanted to point out how hard it to concentrate on a movie while sitting next to you and listening to you swallowing eight cookies at the same time!"

"How come you two don't have your own TV-Show?" Kurt interrupted. Nick and Jeff looked at him in bewilderment. Both needed a second to remember that they were not in the safety of their dorm and that a certain young countertenor was still sitting across the table, listening to their rant the whole time.

"Come on, Kurt," Jeff said, returning to the original point of the discussion. "What romantic story is behind that song?"

"You two are greatly overestimating my experience in the romantic department."

Jeff looked at him in confusion, forehead furrowed, "What do you mean?"

Kurt sighed and used his eraser to scrape out his last answer, "I mean that the most romantic Christmas memory I have is my former neighbour's son Timmy giving his favourite Power-Rangers-Shirt to me as a Christmas present when we were five years old. Actually," he added as an afterthought. "That is the most romantic memory I have _at all_."

Nick and Jeff looked at each other, and Jeff could see his surprise mirrored in Nick's eyes. They both had assumed that Kurt was single (or a shameless flirt, considering how he and Blaine behaved around each other), but neither would have thought Kurt to be a wallflower.

"So, wait, let me get this straight: Are you saying that you never had a boyfriend?" Nick asked. Kurt looked at him with an unreadable expression. Neither Nick nor Jeff could have known that someone casually inquiring about his love-life and at the same time being totally cool with the fact that his love-life involved boys and boys _only_ was a total first for Kurt.

At his old school, barely anyone – except for Mercedes and Tina – had cared at all; and he would have only ever tried to have a love-life conversation with any of the guys if he'd been keen on scaring them away as soon as possible.

Seeing two guys asking innocently about his dating experiences and looking at him with nothing but genuine curiosity was enough to make Kurt's throat tighten. At times like this, he realised just how different Dalton was from McKinley – and how much he loved it, even though the home-sickness sometimes seemed too much to bear.

Jeff didn't know what Kurt was thinking about, he blamed embarrassment and possibly sadness for the fact that Kurt needed thirty seconds to answer that simple question, "No. I never had a boyfriend."

"Oh. Wow," Nick said, more shocked at this than he himself would have anticipated. "Really?"

"Yeah," Jeff said, looking at the newest Warbler as if he was seeing him for the first time. Well, given the fact that he tried to view him as possible boyfriend material that gay guys would for some reason _not_ be interested in, it actually was a first time. "I mean, were all the guys at your school blind or deaf or what?"

Kurt laughed. Even though it came out a bit forced, Jeff was glad to see him cheering up a bit. "I was the only openly gay kid at my old school."

Nick and Jeff shared a surprised look. That was new information. However, Jeff still refused to let go of the more pressing point, "Not even any closeted guys hitting on you?"

A weird expression crossed Kurt's eyes, like he was trying very hard not to remember something horrible. "No."

Nick had a feeling that it would be better not press the matter any further. Instead, he reached out across the table to grab Kurt's French-dictionary to look up a few words while he said, "Wow. I would have taken you for a heartbreaker, to be honest. But anyways, it's their loss. You belong to Dalton now."

"Totally," Jeff said, eager to make up for any bad memories his remarks may or may not have stirred up. "And I bet there are enough guys around here who'll be thankful that you're not taken."

Kurt smiled at them, recognizing their reassurance for what it was, and appreciating the honesty with which these guys wanted him to feel welcomed, "Thank you, guys."

"Now, how about you do the questions on the first page, I do the second page and we switch?" Nick asked hopefully. Kurt snorted, "Dream on, Nicky."

The nasty look the brunette sent him across the table told Kurt that the nickname had struck home. He smiled and returned to his work. Five minutes later, when he was engulfed in his French homework, barely noticing what was happening around him anymore, Nick's eraser hit his forehead.

"Kurt, you're doing it again!"

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><p>"Do you think we were being too intrusive?"<p>

Although he had some years experience of dealing with Jeff's questions that came out of the blue sometimes, Nick still wasn't always able to make sense of them. Like the one that Jeff asked him when he was rushing back and forth between his drawer and the bag resting on his bed, packing his belongings for the Christmas holidays.

"What?" he asked breathlessly, throwing a pair of jeans and a blazer into the bag. His father was picking him up in twenty minutes. Of course he could have started packing yesterday evening, but there had been other important things to do. Like kicking Thad's butt at 'Street Fighter'.

"Do you think we were being too intrusive?"

"I heard you, Jeff. The implied question was: What the hell are you talking about?"

"Our study session with Kurt yesterday between classes," Jeff explained, handing Nick a pair of socks that had somehow managed to sneak into Jeff's drawer. "He seemed so uncomfortable when we were asking him about his love-life."

"Probably because he doesn't have any good experience he's keen on telling us," Nick said, stuffing the socks into the depths of his bag.

"I _didn't_ want to make him uncomfortable," Jeff stressed. Nick sighed, "From what I can see, he _is_ still uncomfortable most of the time. Give him some time, Jeff. He's only been here a couple of weeks; he stills needs some getting used to."

Jeff nodded, silently contemplating whether the jacket would fit into the already crammed space that was left in his bag or whether he should just wear it over his sweater.

"By the way," Nick grinned and turned to his best friend. "I spent yesterday afternoon helping Blaine organize the sheet music for our next rehearsals."

"So?"

"Guess what song he was humming for two hours straight?"

A grin matching the one Nick was wearing spread over Jeff's face, "Really?"

"Really. I asked him about it, and apparently he was invited to perform that number at some monstrosity called "King's Island Christmas Spectacular" and asked Kurt to rehearse the song with him."

"Oh my," Jeff said, an amused expression on his face. "The guy doesn't have any idea what he's doing to poor Kurt, does he?"

"None whatsoever," Nick replied, stuffing one last pair of socks into his bag. "But he's always been clueless when it comes to feelings, hasn't he?"

"Preach," Jeff mumbled, his attention focused on closing his bag. Finally he ushered Nick to sit on it so that he could close the zipper.

"Okay, ready to go?" he asked, turning around only to see Nick already standing by the door, clutching his luggage.

"Sure," Nick replied, looking around the room one last time. "As happy as I am to get home for a few days, I'll miss the craziness around here." He shouldered his bag, "I'm going ahead. See you at the parking lot."

"Hey, Nick?"

The brunette paused midway through the door, looking back over his shoulder.

"You will come and visit over Christmas again, won't you?"

Nick's grin spoke volumes.

"Of course I will. Who knows, maybe this year you'll manage to swallow a whole turkey. I wouldn't miss that for the world."

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><p><em>Oh well, since there isn't much Klaine happening in this episode, I took the opportunity to explore the depths of Niff's friendship a little further. =D Yap, it's May and here I am, writing christmas stories...<br>_

_ I should really be working on my BA-thesis right now, but... well, I can't get enough of these boys!  
><em>

_Also, who else is totally psyched about the prom episode next week? Kilt+Kurt=Kult!_

_Thank you so much everybody who took the time to review the last chapter! Please also let me know what you thought about this one!_

_~ Nalasan_


	3. The Sue Sylvester Shuffle

**Disclaimer: _This story is for non-profit use and reader's enjoyment only. All creative rights concerning Glee, it's characters and any sayings and/or lyrics quoted here belong to their original creator(s)/artist(s)._**

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><p><em>"True love cannot be found where it does not exist, nor can it be denied where it does." ~ Torquato Tasso<em>

_"Chaos is a friend of mine." ~ Bob Dylan_

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><p>"How come you keep beating me?" Jeff asked, sighing in defeat when Nick blasted the last one of his soldiers and a big red "GAME OVER" appeared on his side of the screen.<p>

"That's because I'm generally better at games that require strategic thinking," Nick answered, tossing the game controller aside. "But in exchange, you always beat me at games that require quick reflexes."

Jeff just glared at him, "I'm not completely sure, but that first thing about thinking kinda sounded like an insult."

Before Nick could respond to that, there was a soft knock on the door, followed by a head of curly dark hair peering into the room.

"Am I interrupting anything?"

"Nothing of importance," Nick assured, smiling at the newcomer. "Come in, Blaine."

The lead vocalist closed the door carefully behind him and came to stand next to Jeff's bed, eying the room somewhat awkwardly. Nick noticed that although they had known Blaine for a long time, he barely ever visited them in their dorm. Whenever they hung out together, it was either in the senior commons or in Wes' and David's room (to which every Warbler except for the council members themselves secretly referred to as _'The Headquarter'_).

"How can we help you, Blaine?" Jeff asked, rolling over to his stomach.

"Could I borrow your Chem notes? I kinda forgot to take any after Harry set our experiment on fire."

Jeff grinned and nodded eagerly, hopping off his bed immediately. "Sure, they're somewhere on my desk. I'll get them for you."

Nick sighed inwardly. When Blaine had transferred to Dalton more than a year ago and made it to the position as lead vocalist after three rehearsals only, Jeff instantly had become one of Blaine's biggest fan boys – _the_ biggest, hadn't it been for Thad and Trent.

It would have been a lie to say that Nick hadn't been insanely jealous of Blaine during these first few months – not so much because the newest Warbler got every single solo without so much as trying, but mainly because Jeff just wouldn't stop talking about him. Nick knew that jealousy was one of his biggest weaknesses, and he hated himself for not being able to trust their friendship more – but the thought of losing his best friend to somebody else was more frightening than he could ever admit to himself. Making new friends wasn't exactly easy for a naturally reserved person like Nick was, and the fact that someone as friendly and outgoing as Jeff actually _was_ his best friend still sometimes baffled him.

After some time however, Jeff's burning admiration for Blaine faded into respect and sympathy, while Nick gradually got to know Blaine better and actually grew to like him. He wouldn't refer to him as a friend exactly, but he was fond of Blaine's leadership abilities and his humour.

"So, how was your evening with Kurt?" Jeff asked, while rummaging the chaos on his desk. Nick snapped out of his thoughts and shot his best friend a questioning look, surprised at how well Jeff was informed about Kurt's and Blaine's free-time-activities. Blaine just smiled in his typical happy-go-lucky-way.

"It was really, really nice."

"What did you guys do?" Nick asked. "Hanging at Lima Bean as usual?"

Blaine shook his head. "Nope, I accompanied him and his parents to the championship game at his former school. Half of his old glee club is in the football team, you know, with his step-brother being the quarterback."

"Did they win?" Jeff asked, tossing a crumpled piece of paper into the bin.

"They did. And they did an awesome half-time show." Blaine spend the next minutes telling Nick and Jeff everything about the game, the players and their brilliant mash-up of '_Thriller'_ and _'Heads will roll'_.

"I just stopped by Wes and David before I came here," Blaine concluded. "Forget _Bills Bills Bills_. We need something more terrific if we want to beat them at Regionals."

Nick frowned. He had been quite satisfied with the result of their last rehearsal. "You think so?"

"Yep. That's why we scheduled an extra rehearsal for tomorrow night, five pm."

Jeff and Nick groaned simultaneously. "Is that really necessary?" Jeff asked.

"Of course it is," Blaine asked, frowning at their lack of enthusiasm. "We don't just need to find a killer number for Regionals, but also think about the harmonies, and plan an awesome choreography..."

"Okay, okay, we get it," Nick said. "Don't worry, we'll be there." He leaned back and watched Jeff, who in the meantime had crawled underneath his desk in desperate search of his notes, "Do you need help?"

"Do you think they might have disappeared into a parallel dimension?" came Jeff's muffled voice from below his desk.

"Well, thinking about how long they endured the chaos you call your "workspace", I'll say that was definitely an option worth considering," Nick replied, grinning.

"Did you know that Kurt loves scarves?"

Nick looked at Blaine, surprised at the question that came completely out of the blue. Blaine was staring into space with a decidedly silly smile on his face. Jeff crawled out from underneath his desk, sharing an amused look with Nick.

"I just know that he loved everything that's made out of fabric or leather, was featured in the last vogue and/or has an Marc Jacobs or Alexander McQueen label," Jeff replied while dusting himself off and returning to search the upper side of his desk.

"You know Blaine, this is actually the kind of information you're supposed to share _before_ Christmas," Nick said. "Now it's too late for us to make anything out of it."

Blaine grinned sheepishly. "I just learned about it some days ago."

"And it bothers you because...?" Nick pressed. Blaine just looked at him, blinking confusedly. "It doesn't bother me. I just remembered, that's all."

"Uh, yeah," Jeff said, grinning happily in final success and passing Blaine a collection of loose sheets. "You think these will do?"

"Sure, thanks Jeff," Blaine said, hopping off Nick's bed and turning to leave. "I'll give them back as soon as I copied them. See you tomorrow, guys!"

Nick waited until the door closed behind Blaine and he'd heard Blaine's footsteps hurrying along the corridor before he turned to give his best friend an incredulous look. "He _'just remembered'_ that _'Kurt loves scarves'_ in the middle of a conversation that had absolutely nothing to do with that?"

"It's this room," Jeff replied, his face completely serious. "I know how he feels. I get reminded of Kurt all the time too in here, you know."

He sighed deeply, "The blue of your old sweater that totally belongs in the laundry, by the way, reminds me of the deep, thoughtful look in his eyes. The old, half-eaten sandwich that's rotting away on my desk makes me think of the colour of his hair, perfectly styled as it always is. And your Star-Wars-Poster reminds me of the navy-blue blazer he's always wearing that fit him oh so well..."

"You're referring to the one everyone around here is wearing on a daily basis, I presume?" Nick asked, struggling to keep a straight face. Jeff shot him a very indignant look, "Are you questioning my deep and philosophic thoughts on Kurt?"

"No. I question your sanity, that's all."

Jeff knew that throwing his pillow at Nick would naturally end in a heated pillow-fight, but he didn't mind. After all, it was how most their evenings ended anyways.

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><p><em>First of all: Thank you so much for your kind reviews! I swear, I tend to start grinning like a madwoman whenever I see one of them in my inbox. I wish I had the time to answer them, but I'm already spending way to much time on writing these stories - time that I should rather spend on preparing texts for my BA-thesis. ^^°<em>

_I must admit – I was quite at loss at what to do with this episode. I mean, there's hardly any Warbler context in there, and I couldn't for the love of God make anything out of Bills Bills Bills. I tried, but it just didn't work at all. So I decided to stick to some non-canon Niff scenes and brief mentioning of the Klaine moments in this episode. But I really wanted to give Niff more time to develop as individual characters as well as showing their relationship to Blaine in more detail._

_Next up is "Silly Love Songs"; so stay tuned for a very long chapter! =D And please let me know what you thought about this one. Your reviews make my day! =D  
><em>

_~Nalasan_


	4. Silly Love Songs

**Disclaimer: _This story is for non-profit use and reader's enjoyment only. All creative rights concerning Glee, it's characters and any sayings and/or lyrics quoted here belong to their original creator(s)/artist(s)._**

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><p>"<em>We're never so vulnerable than when we trust someone - but paradoxically, if we cannot trust, neither can we find love or joy." ~ Walter Anderson<em>

"_I have great faith in fools - my friends call it self-confidence." ~ Edgar Allan Poe_

"_**It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them." ~ Agatha Christie**_

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><p>"What. The. Hell!"<p>

Originally, Nick would have thought it to be impossible to sum up what had taken place during the emergency meeting just a few minutes ago. But actually, Jeff's outcry did a fairly good job. The blonde boy was clutching to his bag, brows furrowed, his expression equally confused and annoyed.

"I mean, just _what_ was that in there?" Jeff continued, running his fingers through his hair and causing the blond bangs to stick out in the most impossible angles. He was too upset to even notice. "Junior manager? Gap attack? What _was_ he talking about?"

"Well, if this just really happened, Blaine has convinced us to help him publicly serenade some guy he is in love with. Oh, did I mention he wants to sing _'When I Get You Alon_e', which is possibly _the_ creepiest love-song of all time?" Nick asked dryly. He didn't feel much like joking, but the situation felt still so unreal that irony seemed like the only appropriate way to deal with it.

The glare Jeff shot him was decidedly nasty. "I was in there too, thank you very much." He ran his fingers through his bangs again. "That's not it. I mean, 'Gap-Attack' actually sounded pretty cool at first. Almost like a secret ninja operation or something. But why is he in love with some Gap-guy? I mean, what about Kurt?"

Nick sighed. He knew exactly what Jeff meant.

Over the last weeks, the two of them had had time and opportunity enough to observe the relationship that was developing between the countertenor and their lead vocalist. And they had witnessed enough details that naturally lead them to assuming that this relationship wasn't as platonic as it seemed to be.

After all, it was almost impossible to catch one of them without the other, and even _if_ Nick and Jeff managed to drag Kurt away for a study-session or a shopping-trip (a favourite past-time of Kurt they just discovered recently), he would still mention Blaine at least every five minutes.

Jeff had checked his watch.

As for Blaine – even if they wouldn't have noticed his weird, off-topic references to Kurt ("Did you know that Kurt likes scarves?" being one of the most normal, "Did you know that Kurt was determined to become a veterinarian when he was four because he wanted to take care of baby penguins?" being the most irritating), the fact that their lead vocalist favoured Kurt's company to anyone else's (and he certainly wasn't short on admirers) really made them think that Kurt wasn't the only one with romantic feelings in this relationship.

No wonder this emergency meeting left them wondering just What. The. Hell. They had missed?

Nick sighed, "I guess we should better stop assuming things about Blaine and Kurt. I mean, obviously we were way off with our speculations."

Jeff wasn't one to admit defeat easily, "Oh _come on_ Nick. You saw how they behaved around each other. I swear, they act even more like a married couple than _we_ do."

"But we don't have feelings for each other either," Nick said, adding, "At least, none of the romantic kind."

The blonde boy almost snorted at that, "It is almost impossible to catch one of them alone, though they don't even have classes together; they cannot help but mention the other like all the time; I don't know how often I caught Kurt staring at Blaine with that dreamy look on his face..."

"Look, I don't think we were mistaken about Kurt's feelings," Nick answered finally. "I mean, he clearly_ is_ in love with Blaine." More than anything else, his crestfallen expression after Blaine's explanation had been enough to definitely confirm their suspicion. "But Blaine obviously considers him nothing more than a friend."

Jeff, gnawing thoughtfully on his bottom lip, finally asked, "Do you think it might be some weird attempt to make Kurt jealous or test his feelings or something; so he'll just serenade this Gap-guy to see how Kurt reacts, and when in the end he realizes that Kurt cares just as much about him as he cares about Kurt they both break out in song and declare their undying and eternal love for each other and run off into the sunset?"

Nick's laugh sounded almost bitter, "If they were the main protagonists of some second-rate chick-flick, yes. But I don't think that's how it works in real life."

When Jeff opened his mouth to protest, Nick cut him off, eyes fixed on something in the distance.

"Look, Jeff, I was just as sure as you that there was something going on between them. But I think we shouldn't be fretting about whether we are the most perceptive guys around here or not."

"But…"

"I think we have something way more important to do just now," Nick said, glancing at the bottom of the staircase. Jeff turned around, following his gaze and spotted Kurt. The countertenor was leaning against the banister, clutching the strap of his bag so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. Jeff had never seen anyone looking so cast-down.

Nick was already on his way towards the younger boy, addressing him carefully, "Kurt?"

Kurt looked up, trying his best to put a blank expression over the devastated look on his face. He managed better than Nick would have been able to, and again the brunette boy wondered how much of the Kurt he had come to like during these last weeks he still had to meet, because up until now he had also been hidden behind a careful mask.

"Nick, Jeff," Kurt greeted them.

Both boys just looked at the countertenor, finding it hard to voice what was going through their minds. As usual, Jeff was the one who decided on addressing the matter directly.

"Are you... alright?"

Kurt's expression was hard to read. He looked like he couldn't decide whether to retort something really snarky, ignore them or just burst into tears. Finally, he settled on a short nod. "Peachy." It sounded bitter.

Jeff was on the brink of prying some more, but before he could get half a sentence out, he was interrupted.

"Hey guys," came a cheerful voice from behind them. Nick turned around to see Blaine approaching them, walking next to Kurt to put an arm around the taller boy's shoulder.

"Kurt, I just wanted to thank you for your support in there. I think they never would have agreed if you hadn't spoken up."

Looking at Kurt's grimly cheerful expression, so forced that it almost hurt watching, Nick briefly wondered whether there was any Warbler rule that forbid members of the Dalton glee-club kicking their lead vocalist against the shin. Judging from the murderous expression on Jeff's face, the blonde boy was thinking something along the same lines.

"Well, I'm so glad I could help you," Kurt finally answered. Blaine – drifting somewhere on a purple cloud where love was easy and cotton-candy came in eighty different flavours – was the only one to miss the edge in Kurt's strained voice.

"So, you wanna go to Lima Bean?" Blaine asked, still smiling cheerfully. "I'll treat you for coffee."

If Nick had been in Kurt's place, he would have refused to spend any more time with Blaine, and instead retreated to a private room where he was free to scream into a pillow. Kurt, however, just nodded briefly. "I'm going to head home after that anyways."

"Great," Blaine said, dragging the Kurt away with him. Glancing back at Nick and Jeff, he said, "See you guys later, right?"

"Kurt," Nick called after them, causing the countertenor to stop and turn around to look at him. The brunette boy struggled for a moment, finding it extremely hard to express what he wanted to say – especially with Blaine being within hearing distance.

"It's just... if you, if you need... well, we, you know..."

The expression on Kurt's face changed. For a moment, Nick could have sworn that behind that exterior of collected calmness and even behind the hurt und heartbreak that rested beyond that he saw something close to gratefulness. At least the smile Kurt aimed at the two boys still standing at the bottom of the staircase was far more honest than anything he showed since the emergency meeting.

"Yes, I know," he said softly. "And thank you."

Blaine, oblivious to what just had passed between the other boys, pulled on Kurt's sleeve. The countertenor shot Nick and Jeff one last look before he turned around and followed Blaine in the direction of the parking lot.

"This is so messed up," Jeff said, sounding truly unhappy. He hated conflicts. "What should we do?"

"I think we should stay out of this," Nick said. As much as he hated seeing Kurt like this, he was sure that the boy neither wanted nor needed pity or sympathy. And there wasn't much they could offer beside that. "It's not our business. I mean, right now I feel like putting a frog into Blaine's bed like we did with Harry in eighth grade. But it's just really not up to us to pry into their private stuff. And actually, I have enough trust in their relationship to believe that they will be able to sort this out. Somehow."

Jeff looked at him with a dubious expression at first, but the confident tone in Nick's voice made him think about it. It was true. Kurt and Blaine _were_ two of the strongest people he knew, they were terribly important for each other, and most of all – they always fought for what was important to them.

Finally he nodded and reached out to give Nick's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Let's just hope everything turns out alright."

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><p>The gavel hit the wooden surface of the table. "I call this meeting to order," Wes' voice drifted clearly over the excited chatter of the other Warblers, who eventually fell silent.<p>

"Today we..." He stopped mid-sentence, frowning at the hand that was struck highly into the air. He had gotten used to this hand belonging to Kurt, eagerly suggesting some show-tunes for the Warblers to perform or more fabulous outfits for them to wear.

Seeing Freshman Trevor sitting on the edge of his chair, hand raised in a very Kurtesque manner and eyes all eager and shiny somehow managed to cause chills running up Wes' spine. He didn't have a good feeling about this. "Yes, Warbler Trevor?"

"Can we please start this meeting by talking about how Blaine got his crush fired by singing an offensive song to him in public? Because that kinda never gets old."

The room erupted with noises. Some Warblers like Adrian and Goran didn't even bother hiding their laughter. Some, like Trent and David, gestured furiously, shouting how disrespectful such a remark was. Thad too called something about 'Warbler honour' and 'legacy' and 'tradition'. Jason and Arnon were trying to stifle their laughter but were epically failing to do so; and Noel, sitting next to a chuckling Trevor, looked around the room sheepishly, like he couldn't really decide whether to laugh along with the others or rather chime in and defend Blaine's 'Warbler honour'.

Wes just looked like he was going to get a severe headache.

Jeff was grinning from ear to ear, but he had already spent the last evening reviewing their performance with Nick and giggling like schoolgirls until their dorm-neighbours had banged against the wall and told them to keep quiet whatever they were doing over there.

Sure, they had made enormous fools out of themselves, and in public too, but given that it provided endless material to tease their lead vocalist, they both agreed that it had been totally worth it. Plus – it had been their best and most creative performance so far.

Jeff looked across the room to where Blaine sat. His face was buried in his hands, but if the colour of his neck was any indication, Jeff could safely assume that his cheeks must be beet red. But the most interesting thing on this side of the room by far wasn't Blaine being embarrassed.

Kurt sat next to the lead vocalist, his knee just barely brushing against Blaine's. He patted his friend's shoulder reassuringly, watching him with an expression of pity and understanding and sympathy – and with an expression in his eyes that was nothing short of the loving look that had been there during the past weeks.

Jeff turned to his best friend, who was still chuckling. When Nick looked up, he tipped his head gently in the direction of Kurt and Blaine. Nick's eyes followed his, and the happy smile that appeared on his face only seconds after that was enough to tell Jeff that Nick had understood. And that they both thought the same thing: Kurt and Blaine must have somehow managed to work around the disaster of Blaine's love declaration.

The sound of wood meeting wood brought Jeff out of his daydreams.

"I swear, I will exclude everyone from this meeting who will not be quiet _right now_!"

Wes sounded positively vicious. Not that Jeff could have blamed him.

He still remembered vividly how Wes had been forced to explain the situation to the security, assuring them time and time again that they were not stalking anybody and a restraining order would be completely over-exaggerating things and yes, they were tremendously sorry for any trouble they had caused.

Jeff was pretty sure that if Wes could erase one day of his life, he'd chose this one.

Most of the Warblers had calmed down in the meantime, only a few were still busy stifling their laughter and Thad was still standing, sending every boy who did as much as chuckle a very nasty look.

Wes was ready to continue the meeting as usual when a certain young countertenor raised his hand.

"May I please say something?"

For a moment, Wes looked ready to throw his gavel at Kurt. It took him a short moment of collection until he was able to say through gritted teeth: "Go ahead."

Kurt shot Blaine a soft and cheering smile (Jeff felt Nick's fingers clench into the material of his blazer) and stood up.

"I believe we all agree upon the so-called 'GAP-Attack' not being the most successful performance in the history of this glee-club."

He looked around the room. Most Warblers nodded, many of them still grinning.

"But," he continued. "I don't think we should let this fiasco discourage us. While I have experienced much more hostile reactions after performances with the New Directions, I have to say that our dance routines as well as the harmonies were absolutely _divine_. And as I already pointed out, I think we shouldn't let this one disappointment keep us from further practice."

He looked around the room, pausing to build up an air of suspense before he dropped whatever bomb he was holding onto. Jeff was sure: if Kurt didn't made it as a Broadway singer or fashion designer - with his knack for rhetoric he could easily become an extremely successful politician.

"Fellow Warblers," Kurt finally said. "I suggest our next public performance to be a 'Lonely-Hearts-dinner' on Valentine's Day at the famous Lima restaurant 'Breadsticks'."

Jeff closed his eyes the same moment the room went noisy again. This sure might take some time.

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><p>"That girl over there is totally into me", Jeff said, his mouth stuffed with breadsticks. Nick looked at his best friend with slight disgust, but he had known Jeff far too long to still get irritated by his rather enthusiastic eating habits.<p>

"The one with the dark hair who's sitting alone at that table?" he asked, reaching for his cup of tea. "I think Wes called dips on that one."

"Wes has a girlfriend," Jeff replied. At least Nick assumed that that was what he had said, for it sounded more like: "Wesch haf a garfant."

"That doesn't mean that you stand more of a chance than he does," Nick said. Jeff swallowed (much to Nick's relief, for he had already seen him suffocating on a piece of breadstick), pouted and leaned back into his chair.

"I am _way_ cuter than Wes."

"That you are," Nick agreed, reaching for his fork. "But me saying that doesn't mean _she_ digs it too, you know."

He ducked just in time to avoid the piece of bread Jeff had skilfully aimed at his face.

"Hey guys," Kurt said, sliding into the chair next to Nick. "You're having fun?"

"Kurt, who is that girl sitting over there and is she more interested in the older, slightly choleric, responsible, mature kind of guy; or does she dig the charming, cute, lovable type?"

Nick chocked on his salad while Kurt turned around, trying to figure out who Jeff was talking about. It took just a second before realization dawned on him.

"You mean _Santana_?" he asked, giving the blonde boy a disapproving look. "Oh no Jeff. No, no, no. You do _not_ wanna go there."

Jeff frowned. "How come everyone is underestimating my boyish charm?"

"Oh, I don't doubt that you'll be able to get it on with her," Kurt clarified. "The only requirement you need for that is to be a semi-attractive human being, which you fulfil. I was just expressing my doubts that you would want to throw yourself away like this, Jeff. You can do better."

Nick raised an eyebrow at Kurt's declaration of disgust while Jeff just continued to stare at the girl curiously. "But she is so very pretty," he finally said.

Kurt just huffed in reply, "I guess that's what many a grasshopper thought before he was murdered and digested by a praying mantis."

Jeff glared at the younger boy, "Did anyone ever tell you that you are horribly morbid?"

"Stop it, both of you," Nick interfered before Kurt could reply something snarky. He didn't want them to ruin the mood by bickering at each other, especially since the performance had been such a success. Speaking of which...

"Kurt?" Nick asked softly. "Did you and Blaine... talk?"

Kurt looked at him very thoughtfully. Nick knew that he and Jeff had agreed upon staying out of their business, and he was also aware of the fact that Kurt didn't like to share much private information with them. But he wanted Kurt to know that he had people he could talk to besides Blaine.

After a long moment of consideration, Kurt sighed in defeat, "Let's just stop pretending that you two don't know exactly what's going on between me and Blaine, alright? Though I really think that you should get your own love-life to take care of."

"I was kinda working on that until your morbid and sadistic insect references ruined it," Jeff retorted. Kurt just rolled his eyes, but couldn't resist the smile that was tugging on the corners of his mouth. Nick saw it with relief.

"We don't want to pry or intrude or anything," he said. "We just care about you, and we wanted to know if you're alright." Jeff nodded in agreement.

Kurt looked at the two boys, a genuine and happy smile slowly spreading over his face. When he came to Dalton, he had hoped to be able to live without fear for once, to go to classes without feeling the injuries he got from being shoved and pushed around and maybe to spend much, much more time with Blaine. Finding new friends who really cared about him and at the same time respected his privacy (something no member of the New Directions had been good it, even though most of the time they _had_ meant well), was something that made Kurt felt slightly overwhelmed.

"Blaine and I talked," he finally said. His voice was calm, barely drifting above the noise of the restaurant around them. "I told him where I thought we stood, and he told me that even though he cares about me, we'll just remain friends."

Jeff raised his eyebrow while Nick hissed in sympathy. Kurt just smiled sweetly, adding, "For now. I don't mind taking things slowly, and even though I can't help how I feel, I'm not disappointed. I mean, I'll guess we just have to see where we go from here."

Nick grinned and reached out to squeeze Kurt's shoulder, while Jeff said, "You know, if you ever need anyone to give Blaine a push in the right direction, we'd be more than happy to assist."

The countertenor smiled thankfully at his two new friends. "I know. Thank you."

"Hey guys, what are you talking about?" Blaine approached their table and settled himself next to Jeff into the booth. Nick made a mental note to refrain from calling Blaine 'Blaine' any longer. The term 'Captain Oblivious' seemed more appropriate. At least for private conversations with Jeff.

"Our performance being totally awesome," Jeff said. "And about why I'm not allowed to try to make a move on a pretty girl to get my own love-life."

"Speaking of which," Kurt said, smirking at the blonde boy in a way that was decidedly evil. Nick had a feeling that he was in to get some revenge on Jeff's comment on his morbidity. "You know, Nick, since the two of you are not dating or anything, I was actually fairly surprised that Jeff refers to you as '_my_ Nick'."

Jeff chocked on his pasta and started coughing, while Nick stared at him with a mixture of shock, confusion, amazement and utter horror.

"I wasn't," Jeff exclaimed, once he was able to breathe properly again, properly enough at least to get enough air to speak. Blaine briefly wondered whether his blushing cheeks were to blame on the lack of oxygen or on the turn the conversation took.

Jeff meanwhile explained, "We were talking about the people in math class the other day, and about Nick – you know, Nicolas Hammilton, the one who always falls asleep when Mr. Ascott discusses a new formula – and I was just saying that to emphasise that I was talking about him and not about _you_ – my-best-friend-my-roommate-Nick. That's what happened."

Kurt just grinned, mouthing "No it's not" at Blaine, but Nick, who missed that due to his gaze being fixed on his best friend, exhaled in a very relieved way.

"Talking about an awkward moment, Kurt," Nick said. The smile of the young countertenor was undisturbed. He stood up, pulling gently at Blaine's sleeve. "Come on. You still haven't been properly introduced to all of the New Directions, have you?"

Blaine just grinned, letting Kurt pull him over to the tables where the members of his former glee-club sat.

Nick turned and caught Jeff grinning at him. "Looks like you were right. They were able to sort out their problems without us putting something disgusting into Blaine's drawer."

Grinning, Nick nodded. "I'm just glad that everything is alright between them again. Even though the idea had its appeal."

"Yeah," Jeff said, eyeing Nick's salad curiously. "Do you still eat that?"

Nick looked at his best friend for a long moment, before he sighed and pushed his plate towards him. Jeff smiled happily and grabbed his fork, ready to finish what Nick had left untouched.

And in the middle of a crowded restaurant, listening to the excited chatter of his teammates at the tables around him; seeing Kurt introducing a very nervous Blaine to a tall guy with a Mohawk who eyed the lead vocalist rather sceptically; and watching his best friend indulge food at a speed that defied at least ten laws of physic, not to mention dozens of manners – Nick couldn't help the content, happy smile that slowly started to spread across his face.

There was just no place on earth he'd rather be.

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><p><em>I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update, but I really, really need to focus on my life, which right now means: my BA-thesis. I should totally be writing about Jane Eyre and Emma instead of Niff, I really should. And it didn't help that this chapter was a bitch to write. I wrote the last part first and I loved it, but I <span>hate<span> the first one. It took forever until I was done with it, and even longer until I was somewhere next to satisfied. Oh well, at least I didn't lie about this chapter being long =D  
><em>

_Anyways - I'm skipping Comeback, because there is absolutely no Klaine or Dalton content in there. Which means, next up is **Blame It On The Alcohol**. And I'm **SO** looking forward to it, 'cause it's like the second chapter I actually wrote when I started this story (the first one being the end of Original Song... yeah, who cares about the right order), which means it's already halfway done and it has so much drama in it. Well naturally, you all know what happens in the episode, don't you?_

_Also: Season finale. I laughed all the time because it was so downright ridiculous. Like, all of it. The songwriting __literally __in the last minute, Mr. Shue's "broadway career", the guys keeping on singing Bella Notte even after Rachel turned Finn down, Loser like me 2... awesome. I mean, I loved the Santana/Quinn/Brittany Scene and For Good and every moment that had Kurt in it (especially when it also involved a certain **boyfriend**). But I thought it was the right ending for a season that frankly has been an emotional rollercoaster-ride._

_Please let me know what you thought about this chapter and please don't hesitate to critize anything. Again, I'm really, really unsure about this, and extremely thankful for any advice on content and character development that might help to improve my writing! And I love each and every review!  
><em>

_Thank you so much for reading!_

_~ Nalasan  
><em>


	5. Blame It On The Alcohol

**Disclaimer: _This story is for non-profit use and reader's enjoyment only. All creative rights concerning Glee, it's characters and any sayings and/or lyrics quoted here belong to their original creator(s)/artist(s)._**

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><p>"<em>There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love." ~ Bryant H. McGill<em>

"_Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving." ~ Dale Carnegie_

"_A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out." ~ Grace Pulpit_

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><p>"Nick, I believe we have a problem," Jeff said. Nick's eyes followed Jeff's index finger which was pointing down the hallway, right at a person clad in the unavoidable blue Dalton-blazer who was sitting in a windowsill.<p>

Nick arched an eyebrow.

He had seen many of Kurt's moods: bitchy, happy, reserved, sceptical, sarcastic, completely pissed off, calm, elated, cast-down, collected, even angry – but an expression so utterly depressed and devastated that he didn't even bother trying to hide it hadn't been part of the many faces of Kurt Hummel up until now. The boy looked at the styrofoam cup he was clutching unto as if he actually contemplated drowning himself in it.

"Hey Kurt, what's up?" Jeff asked, sitting down next to him on the windowsill while Nick took the chair in front of them. Kurt slowly snapped out of whatever depressing thoughts had occupied his mind, and did his best to let a blank expression cover his frowning features. He didn't succeed.

"Jeff, Nick," he greeted, clutching his coffee even tighter. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"To the fact that we're very nice people and can't just walk by a fellow Warbler who looks like he is ready to either kill himself or whoever caused that gloomy expression on his face," Jeff retorted.

Sometimes Nick wished his best friend to be only a little less direct, since he was not sure whether this was the best way to approach Kurt when he was that devastated. But on the other hand – the tactless honesty was one of the things Nick loved most about Jeff.

Kurt, however, immediately built up his defences. "I really don't know what you're talking about, Jeff," he said. Nick carefully placed a hand on Kurt's knee, squeezing ever so lightly.

"Kurt, we're just concerned, that's all. You don't have to talk about anything if you don't want to – but if you want to, we'll be glad to listen."

Kurt looked at him with an expression that settled somewhere between gratefulness and apprehensiveness.

Here at Dalton, even though he was pretty popular and liked by almost everyone, he hadn't managed to find many actual friends yet. Partly because he had only been at the school for a couple of months (and didn't board here, which would have speeded up finding new friends immensely) but also because he spent almost every minute with Blaine and Blaine only.

Nick and Jeff however, were the exception to the rule. With their genuine curiosity and honest concern and interest, they had managed to sneak their way into his heart slowly, but steadily. To anyone else who might have caught him sitting here, he would have denied anything being wrong at all. But with _them_ being the two guys sitting in front of him, he couldn't help but voice what was bothering him.

"It's Blaine," he said, his voice trembling ever so slightly. Nick nodded. "Figures."

The countertenor turned to him, left eyebrow raised questioningly. The brunette boy grinned and explained: "I mean, you and Blaine have been practically attached to the hip ever since you came here. And now we catch you sitting here alone, looking all depressed and Blaine nowhere in sight to comfort you..."

"Did you two have a fight?" Jeff asked.

Kurt shrugged and stared into his coffee again. "Kinda."

"Come on, spit it out already, will you?" Nick said, and Jeff threatened, "We're not going to leave until we made you feel better. Somehow."

The younger boy sighed and leaned back, letting his head rest against the cold glass of the window behind him.

"It all started last Saturday, I guess. My former glee-club was having a party and I blackmailed my step-brother into taking me and Blaine with him."

"Why didn't they invite you?" Jeff asked, puzzled. Kurt just shrugged. "They forgot, I guess. They're not really good keeping in touch with me anyways. But I really wanted to see them again, and I also wanted..." He paused, biting his lower lip as if he feared that he already said too much.

Nick grinned knowingly. "You wanted to see whether Blaine would fit in with them, didn't you?" The grin that started to spread on Jeff's face matched the one of his best friend, "You wanted to test him as _boyfriend-material_?"

Kurt avoided looking up, but he nodded slowly, the tips of his ears turning red. Nick and Jeff laughed.

"It didn't work out at all, though," Kurt said miserably. "As soon as we got there, he started drinking with the others, and..."

"Oh dear," Jeff interrupted. "Did he turn into a cuddle-slut again?"

The countertenor stared at him in bewilderment, blinking rapidly, "What?"

"Last year," the blonde boy explained, "Adrian smuggled in some wine-coolers for his birthday party, causing Blaine and Flint to discover that they have a zero-alcohol-tolerance."

He grinned fondly at the memory, "Flint started singing offensive football-anthems in three different languages. I swear, Thad hasn't been able to look him in the eyes ever since. As for Blaine, he spent the entire evening sitting in Nick's lap, telling him that once they're all grown up, they'll marry and have their own unicorn farm where they would raise pink and purple unicorns."

Nick shuddered as he remembered one of the most irritating evenings of his life. Kurt, however, looked at him with a mixture of fascination and envy, "And what did you do then?"

Nick just shrugged. "I didn't have the heart to tell him that _if_ I would ever get a farm with magical creatures, I would totally raise hippogriffs. And not with him, but with Jeff." The blonde boy nodded in agreement. It was so nice to have their future all planned out.

"Anyways, he fell asleep after a while, so we let him crush on Jeff's bed. He didn't remember anything in the morning and still claims that we made the whole story up."

"So – what creatures did he want to raise with you?" Jeff asked. "Dwarfs? Goblins? Blast-Ended Skrewts?"

"Nothing," Kurt answered, immediately becoming gloomy again. "He just spent the entire night singing duets with Rachel and sucking her face off."

He looked up to see the other boys stare at him in bewilderment. "I'm just taking a guess here and assume Rachel is one of your _female_ friends and not the drag-queen-persona of your step-brother, right?" Jeff asked slowly. Kurt half-snorted, half-laughed at that, his voice bitter, "Right."

Nick padded Kurt's knee reassuringly, "I'm so sorry Kurt. It must have been an awful evening for you. But he probably was so out that he didn't realize what he was doing, much less that he was hurting you."

"I spent the whole night convincing myself to believe the exact same thing," Kurt replied. "I even invited him for coffee the next morning, because I was fine with believing that he didn't need to apologize for anything because there was nothing he did on purpose."

When he drew in a deep breath, Nick couldn't help but feel that Kurt was getting to the climax of his story.

"When we arrived at Lima Bean, Rachel called him. She told him how cute he is and asked him out on a date." Kurt' voice was as devoid of any hope, "And he said yes."

The looks on Jeff's and Nick's faces spoke volumes of their confusion. "And _why_ would he do that?" Nick finally asked.

Kurt huffed and now his voice wasn't sad or downcast any longer – it was angry. "Because apparently, spending one night drunkenly kissing a girl was enough to make him question his sexuality."

"So, wait – he thinks he's into girls too now?" Jeff asked. Kurt just snorted, but nodded.

"Well..." Nick finally said after the thought had sunken in. "Wow. I'm really surprised. I mean, he always seemed so sure and confident with his sexuality. I never would have guessed that he might be struggling with it."

"Oh _please_ Nick," Kurt sneered, a very ugly look on his face. "He is _not_ struggling. He is as gay as any guy could possibly be."

"Well, there's no denying that he's into guys, true," Jeff said, letting the thought develop. "But he might be bisexual, doesn't he? I think..."

He was not able to complete his sentence since Kurt interrupted him, his voice aggravated, "Oh _come on_ Jeff. Bisexuality is nothing but an excuse for gay guys to feel 'normal' again. It's a concept for cowards who are afraid to accept themselves for who they are."

Kurt would have expected Jeff and Nick to argue with him, to console him, maybe even to agree with him. Never would he have expected what happened next. Nick looked shocked, hurt and like he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

Jeff however, took his hand slowly away from Kurt's shoulder, suddenly very calm, a dangerously blank expression settling on his features. Seeing this expression on Jeff, who was nearly always smiling or laughing, for some reason managed to give Kurt goosebumps.

"Is that really what you think about bisexuality?" Jeff asked, his voice dangerously calm. Kurt, unable to understand yet what had changed during the last ten seconds, found himself nodding automatically.

"Well, Kurt," Jeff continued, his voice very cold. "Let me assure you one thing. Bisexual people struggle just as much with their sexuality as gay guys do. Most of the times, they struggle even longer and harder, because – I don't know if you noticed? – for most people it's just as hard to truly accept bisexuality. I would know," he said. "I speak from experience."

Kurt noticed that Jeff was no longer sitting next to him, but now stood in front of him, bag already over his shoulder, his brown eyes piercing into Kurt's blue ones.

"I thought you knew how it is not to be accepted by the people around you. At least I thought that's why you came here. But apparently, you still have much to learn, Kurt. Because clearly you don't know the first thing about tolerance."

He didn't give Kurt any opportunity to reply; he was halfway down the hall before realization managed to get through Kurt's state of shock. He was gaping slightly, his gaze fixed on Jeff's retreating back, even long after the blonde boy had turned around the corner.

"I'm not sure whether you noticed, but that one struck home."

Kurt's head turned slowly to Nick, who was still sitting in front of him.

"Why are you still here?" Kurt finally asked, his voice hoarse from all the tears he hadn't himself allowed to shed since Saturday. "I just insulted and hurt your best friend."

"That you did," Nick replied, his voice equally calm and disappointed. "And let me tell you, it takes quite some restraint _not_ to yell at you or storm after Jeff this very minute. Because I can assure you, he is now slamming shut our bathroom door, sitting down on the toilet and starts to cry this very minute."

Kurt tried to swallow, but his throat seemed too tight. "I didn't know that he..."

"Oh, I got that," Nick replied dryly. "You see, not all guys are like you and Blaine, Kurt. Yes, Jeff is into guys too. And he's also into girls. But he doesn't make a big deal out of it, because he just doesn't care about the sexuality of other people." He stared at Kurt with an air of hostility. "He doesn't judge people by something they don't choose for themselves."

"You should go after him," Kurt said quietly.

"I will," was the answer of the brunette boy. "But not until I hear the end of your story."

Kurt looked up, his expression puzzled. Nick continued, "Look, Kurt, I'm not somebody who has a lot of friends or makes new ones very easily. But for the friends I have, I like to believe that they are something special. That I didn't mistake them for someone they're not. And for some reason, even I heard what you just said to Jeff, I can't bring myself to believe that you really _meant_ what you said."

He leaned back into his chair, "I think you have been hurt, Kurt. Badly so. And I think right now, you didn't care whether you hurt other people around you – people who have nothing to do with the real issue here."

He paused, tilted his head to the side and looked at Kurt with calm curiosity, "This is not just about Blaine thinking he is bisexual or trying to date a girl, is it?"

"No," replied Kurt after a moment of silence, and finally one of many tears rolled down his cheek. "No it isn't." He silently took the tissue Nick offered him and blew his nose before he continued, "I told him the same thing I just told Jeff. And he reacted just like Jeff did." He closed his eyes in desperation. "I _don't_ think sexuality is something you chose. I _know_ that bisexuals are going through pretty much the same I went through. But I was just so hurt by everything that happened, and that he would just start to date somebody else, and _a friend of mine_, after I basically confessed my feelings to him only two weeks ago..."

"So you wanted to hurt him as well," Nick said, nodding in comprehension. He knew that Jeff would never fully understand Kurt the way he did right now, because the blonde boy was unfamiliar to the concept of feeling jealous or dependent on other people, panicking when you felt them slipping away slowly. But Nick knew that had he been in Kurt's place – he would have probably reacted in a similar way.

"How did Blaine take that?"

Kurt swallowed, and Nick needed to fumble for another tissue because now the tears _really_ started rolling down Kurt's cheeks.

"He said that he didn't understand how I could be so ignorant. And he said that I was just as bad as Karov... as the people back at my old school who tormented me." Nick started at him in shock. He had gathered that what went down between Kurt and Blaine had been bad, but he didn't anticipate that both of them had aimed _so_ low. "He what?"

Kurt blew his nose again and crumbled the wet tissue in his fist. "He's right, isn't he? I mean, look what I did to Jeff." He hiccupped. "You and Jeff were the only real friends I had here, except for Blaine, and now I screwed everything up..."

Nick sighed. He stood up and walked towards the younger boy, sat down next to him on the windowsill and put an arm around him. "Kurt. You are nothing like the people who tortured a fellow student so badly that he saw no other way as to escape to a school that has "Anti-bullying-policy" practically written over its entrance." He paused for a moment, before he continued, "You said just now that you really didn't mean what you said before. About bisexuality and gay guys and all that." Kurt nodded, eyes still fixed on the crumbled tissue in his hands.

"Well," Nick said, "I think you should tell Jeff that instead of me."

Finally, Kurt looked up, expression puzzled but something like hope shimmering in the depths of his tear-filled eyes, "Do you think he'll listen to me?"

Nick snorted, "Kurt. Sometimes I really don't know where you come from, but around here, people are actually familiar with the concept of reason." He thought about some of his fellow Warblers, adding, "Well, most of them are. And Jeff most definitely is. So, yes, I believe he will be willing to listen to an earnest apology."

He squeezed the shoulder of the countertenor lightly. "Jeff is _the_ most forgiving, trusting guy I know. Right now, he's hurt as hell. Much like you, I think. But believe me – if you give him a reason to forgive you, he _will_ forgive you."

Kurt still looked at him with a weird expression on his face. "You guys really love each other, don't you?"

Instead of answering, Nick just grabbed Kurt's bag, shoving it into the arms of the other boy. "Come on. The sooner you two start sorting out your differences, the better."

Kurt smiled. It was a faint smile, barely reaching the corners of his mouth, but it was a start.

"What exactly did I do to deserve friends like you?" he asked.

Nick just huffed and hopped off the windowsill, grabbing his own bag. "I just can't deal with people crying, that's all," he said, nudging Kurt into the direction of his dorm.

* * *

><p>When he spotted Blaine sitting alone in the cafeteria with his homework in front of him, though not really concentrating on the books before him but obviously lost in thought, Jeff decided that there would hardly be a better opportunity for him to address his lead vocalist. He lost no time and dropped down on the chair next to the curly-haired boy, "Hi Blaine."<p>

"Hey Jeff," Blaine said, looked up and stopped gnawing on his pencil, the smile on his face only the tiniest bit tense. "What's up?"

Jeff knew that Nick would have chosen a much more careful way to approach the topic. But for one, Jeff never really managed to figure out why people made such a big deal out of not being able to get to the point. And secondly – he was still immensely pissed at the lead vocalist because of what Kurt had told him yesterday.

"I just wanted to tell you that I think you behaved like a giant dick towards Kurt," he said. Blaine stared at him, mouth hanging open in shock and confusion.

"He told me and Nick what happened yesterday," Jeff added for clarification. "We caught him in the afternoon, when he was practically weeping because of what went down between you two."

He remembered what Nick had told him to say many many times and repeated dutifully, "We don't want to butt in on your relationship or anything, we really don't." Which was kind of a lie, because right know there was just nothing he wanted to do more badly. "But Kurt is our friend too, you know. And you really hurt him with what you said about him being like the bullys at his old school. Or by dating one of his friends two weeks after he basically confessed his feelings for you."

Jeff paused, thinking about what he originally had wanted to say. "So, I think you should hurry and apologize to him for behaving like a giant ass, because even though I get that you were pretty upset because of what he said about bisexuals – which I fully understand, because I was really upset about that part too – you should remember that he will not always take what you throw at him, Blaine."

Mere twenty-four hours ago, Jeff never would have thought that he would be defending Kurt in any way ever again. When he had stormed off, he had been determined never to speak to him again. When Nick appeared at their dorm half an hour later, shoving a sobbing Kurt into the room, Jeff wanted to yell at him, to ignore him, to tell him to get the fuck out – but when Kurt was standing right in front of him, tears glistening in his eyes, stammering how truly sorry he was, he couldn't help but enclose him in a tight hug.

Nick had said some very rude things about weeping boys, Jeff and Kurt had used up a family box of tissues, and all of them had talked for three hours straight, ignoring the fact that Kurt should have headed home an hour ago. When they escorted Kurt to the parking lot, it was after seven p.m.. Kurt and he had hugged each other tightly – still feeling awkward, not directly because of the fight they had but because both of them only started to realize that their relationship had actually reached a point where such a fight was possible – and could have easily meant a huge loss for both of them.

And he would probably never tell anyone that halfway through the night, when he yanked out of a nightmare he didn't remember for the third time, he climbed into Nick's bed, shoving the other boy to the side of the bed and nestling comfortably between the warm blankets.

Now, he looked at Blaine, his forehead furrowed thoughtfully. "That apart, I also wanted to tell you that whatever identity crisis you're facing right now regarding you sexuality, if you need somebody – to talk to or to give you any advice – I'm here for you, man."

Blaine was still staring at him in bewilderment. Jeff shifted uncomfortably, realizing just now that probably no one of the Warblers had ever spoken to Blaine like this.

"Okay, this is the part where you're supposed to either hug me and cry into my shoulder and tell me that I'm an awesome friend or tell me to get the fuck off and mind my own business."

Blaine blinked, obviously not sure how to respond to Jeff's speech.

"I apologized to Kurt this afternoon."

Now it was Jeff's turn to look confused, and a little embarrassed too. "You did?"

Blaine nodded, "I ran into him at the Lima Bean after practice. He asked me if we could talk, and I said that I felt horrible about what I said to him, and he said that I was right and that he reacted ignorantly and unsupportive. So, we kinda both apologized."

Jeff stared at him. It had taken him a three-hour-conversation to sort things out with Kurt, and all these guys needed was a damn coffee?

"And what about that friend of Kurt you have been 'dating'?"

Blaine frowned. "She was there too. Earlier, I mean. Apparently, she wanted to prove to Kurt that we were serious – which we weren't – and came up to me and kissed me."

Now the blonde boy stared openly at the lead vocalist. Did he miss something or did his life just turn into a freaking sitcom?

"And when I kissed Rachel again I just realized... I'm really not into girls, you know? Like really, really not." He tapped his pencil against his nose, smiling. "I'm gay after all."

Jeff resisted the urge to hit his head against something hard. When the hell had life gotten so complicated?

When he regained his composure, he smiled. "Well, good for you. Being gay, I mean. And sorting things out with Kurt."

"Yeah," Blaine said, now looking curiously at the blonde boy next to him. It was so unusual to see him sitting somewhere without Nick being at least within ear-shot. He realized for the first time that there was a Jeff who was an individual, someone who existed outside the Nick-and-Jeff-partnership that sort of defined their identity.

"So... why were you offering to help me?"

Jeff looked at him in confusion. Did he really leave that part out during his speech? He should have listened to Nick and taken notes, "Uhm, I'm bisexual too. Or not, you know, 'too', since you're not, but I figured that if you really considered being bi, than it might help you to talk to someone who has gone through the same thing."

Blaine looked taken aback. That was something he didn't see coming. He had always just assumed that Nick and Jeff were both straight – or secretly in love with each other and heavily in denial. Again he realized how little he truly knew about his fellow Warblers, "You are?"

Jeff just nodded, "Yeah, I think so. I mean, I dig girls and I dig guys. That makes me pretty bi, doesn't it?"

The lead vocalist looked at him with genuine curiosity. "And, how long have you known?"

Jeff shrugged, leaning back into his chair. "A few years, maybe. I mean, it was really, really weird. I grew up thinking that I was into girls, because I mean, hey – everyone grows up and thinks he's into girls, thanks to our hetero-normative society. When I was thirteen, I fell in love with my new neighbour's son. I was really, really confused, but finally I told myself: "Hey, apparently I'm gay." I came out to my parents. They weren't exactly happy about it, but they weren't shocked either, and they accepted and supported me nonetheless. My grandparents were totally cool with it, only my grand-aunt refuses to talk to me ever since. But she's involved in some weird church thing, so I guess it's to blame on that, mainly."

He sighed. "My neighbour, by the way, was straight, ten years older than me and absolutely not interested in that weird blonde kid with the horrible acne that followed him around all day. But I was in love with him for more than a year."

He paused, looking thoughtfully. "And then I met Lucy. And I was head-over-heels for her. Honestly, thinking I was gay was frightening at first, and it took me some time to get used to it. But it was nothing compared to what I felt than. I mean, what was I? Was I gay? Or straight? Or was I afraid of my identity and trying to get back into the closet again? I don't know if you noticed, but being bisexual isn't exactly a lifestyle society offers to us. Just look at all these TV-Shows and movies... I mean, once a man, even though he might have had relationships and awesome sex with women in his former life, falls in love with another man, in 99% of the cases that makes him automatically gay. And everything that happened before was a lie or an illusion or escapism or whatever."

He tilted his head to the side, watching a few Dalton students passing by the cafeteria window.

"Sometimes I actually wished I was just gay. Or straight. And it took me a really long time to accept who I truly am. I mean, my family was supportive and anything, but they were also quite at loss."

"Is that the reason why you came to Dalton?" Blaine asked, now curious to learn more about Jeff. How come he had been in the same club with him without ever truly knowing anything about him? Granted, sexual orientation wasn't a big deal at Dalton – most of the times you just knew what people were interested in, and nobody really ever talked about it. But now that he thought about it, Blaine realized with horror how little he truly knew about his fellow Warblers. Yes, he was friends with Wes and David, and yes, he talked to the others quite frequently – but he never really cared about them as individuals. He had been satisfied with them admiring him for his talent.

"Not really, no," Jeff replied. "I came to Dalton because my family moved here and it was the best school in the district. And due to my little identity crisis I failed quite a lot of classes, so when my parents learnt about Dalton's tolerance policy, they liked the idea of giving me a break."

Blaine nodded slowly. He carefully inquired, "And how do you feel now? About your sexual orientation?"

Jeff shrugged. "I accepted that I dig girls as well as guys. I mean, I can't change it, even if it makes me a freak of nature to the rest of the world." He grinned. "One aspect of it is really cool though: you have absolutely no limits of who to fall in love with."

Blaine laughed. This optimism was just so _Jeff_. "That's true." He smiled at the blonde boy, "Thank you Jeff, for offering me your help. It really means a lot to me."

"No problem," Jeff replied. "I'm just happy you and Kurt are cool again. I mean, imagine what Warbler practice would have been like if you stayed mad at each other." He shuddered. "Kurt would have probably suggested some horrible outfits for you to wear or humiliating songs for you to sing, and then Nick and I would have had to back him up, you know, loyalty and everything, and then Thad and Trent would have come to _your_ support, and Wes would have totally banged that gavel a million times, and then David would get annoyed at the noise and yell at him, and Noel would have been all pissed about us fighting, and Trevor would have started crying because Mom and Dad – aka David and Wes – were fighting, and Adrian would have tried to mediate, and Goran would have filmed the whole thing and put it on youtube for the world to laugh at us, and just think of our chances at Regionals if that happened..."

Blaine's laughter was still heard three rooms from the cafeteria.

* * *

><p>"So, did you talk to Captain Oblivious?"<p>

Jeff closed the door behind him and frowned at his roommate, who was sitting in the window sill. "Care to tell me why you always seem to know where I was and what I did?"

Nick, already in his pyjamas, hair still damp from the shower he had taken half an hour ago and an open book resting on his lap, just grinned at his best friend.

"Well, that is either because I am an immensely perceptive guy, or because I arranged a microchip to be transplanted into your brain when you became my roommate so that I can follow each and every one of your steps on a secret monitor hidden underneath my pillow."

Jeff snorted and threw his blazer at the brunette boy. It only managed half the way across the room before it flopped powerlessly down on Nick's bed, "Should it worry me that I wouldn't put the latter past you?"

Silently, Nick watched as his best friend changed out of his uniform and into the pants and shirt he wore to bed. It wasn't even eight p.m. yet, but after the drama of the last two days, both boys longed for a quiet and relaxed evening, and since neither of them had planned to go home for the weekend, they could postpone all the nasty things like homework till Sunday and enjoy a quiet Friday night.

Nick waited until Jeff flung himself down on the bed, his pillow bouncing at the sudden movement, before he inquired again, "So, did you talk to him?"

Jeff cracked one hazel eye open to look at the other boy. "Yes I did," he said, shifting until his head rested on a pillow. "I told him what I wanted to: that he was behaving like a giant ass and that he should apologize to Kurt as soon as possible, but that I'd be happy to offer some advice if he needed any."

"And then?"

"Well, then he told me that he already apologized to Kurt earlier that day and in the meantime discovered that he was pretty much exclusively gay."

Briefly, Jeff summarized the conversation Blaine and he had had a few hours ago. When he had finished, Nick was thoughtfully gnawing on his bottom-lip.

"So..." he finally said, "... all this drama was pretty much for nothing, huh?"

Jeff sighed exhaustedly and closed his eyes. "If you ask me that tomorrow, when I am rested after ten hours of sleep, I'll answer that I wouldn't reduce Blaine's inner struggles and Kurt's and my first big fight to that. But if you ask me now, then I'll have to say: Yes. All this drama was pretty much for nothing."

He heard soft padding on the floor when Nick's socks touched the wooden surface, but he didn't realize what the other boy was up to until he felt something dipping into the mattress next to him and a pair of strong arms half tackled, half lifted him into a firm embrace.

Jeff yelped in surprise, eyes opening and focusing on the head of muzzled brow hair beneath him. Though touches and hugs were quite frequent between the two boys, it was nearly always Jeff who initiated them. Nick endured or reciprocated them, but he simply wasn't as touchy-feely as Jeff and stayed reversed, even around the people he loved, trusted and cared about.

Feeling his best friend clutch to him so tightly told Jeff more about his concern, understanding and friendship than any verbal statement might have done. He slowly let his arms wind around the smaller boy and hold tight, silently answering all the questions Nick had not voiced.

It was that precise moment when someone decided to knock on their door.

Nick immediately began to struggle out of the embrace, but Jeff just grinned and hold on tightly, calling, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Blaine and Kurt, the first one grinning sheepishly when he spotted the two boys sitting on Jeff's bed, the latter just arching an eyebrow.

"Are we interrupting anything?" Kurt inquired.

Jeff, who had a strong feeling that Nick might bit him if he would not let him go, hesitantly loosened his grip around the brunette boy, answering, "Nothing we can't continue once you're gone again."

Nick, whose cheeks might have been a little flushed, frowned at the countertenor, "Shouldn't you have headed home like two hours ago?"

Kurt just shrugged, "Originally yes, but that's not important right now." He pointed at the two boys, "I need you to back me up on a fashion question."

"But we don't know the first thing about fashion," Jeff exclaimed, puzzled.

"Doesn't matter, I just need you to back me up."

"Kurt," Blaine sighed, "I already told you, I _am_ wearing these jeans for the performance tonight."

The countertenor looked something between offended and outraged, snorting, "You cannot be serious Blaine. Have you looked at these jeans properly?"

"Yes, I did and I like them."

"Sometimes I can't believe you. Where the hell did you get them anyways?"

"At..." Blaine swallowed, eyes darting nervously towards Kurt. "At the Gap?"

Kurt just nodded gloomily, "Figures."

"Uhm, guys?" Nick interrupted. "As much as I'd like listening to your witty discussions, could you please tell us again why they need to take place in _our_ room?"

"Or what this conversation is about in the first place?" Jeff added.

Kurt huffed and explained. "Blaine asked me to go to the community theatre tonight. They're doing _Cabaret_. And we originally wanted to ask you whether you would like to come with us," Kurt said, eyes drifting over the two already pyjama-clad boys on the bed. "But I see that you already have other plans for the evening."

While that remark was enough to make Nick blush, Jeff just nodded in agreement. "Precisely. Thanks for thinking of us, guys, but I have no intention of going anywhere tonight. Next time. But you guys have fun, alright?"

Kurt huffed, "Once I'll be able to see past the tasteless assortment of costumes and setting, I will."

"You don't even know for sure whether it will truly be that horrible," Blaine objected.

Kurt just rolled his eyes, "I have seen the advertisements, Blaine, and they were enough to rob me of any illusion I might have had."

"But the actors are supposed to be really good."

"I don't dispute that, but the charm of a 60's broadway musical is only partly created by its music and performers. A lot of charm comes from the props and costumes. And transferring the story into a modern-day convent doesn't even make much sense in the first place."

Jeff let himself fall back onto his bed again, groaning, "Nicky? If I just ignore them, will they go away?"

Nick grinned amusedly at his best friend. "Nah. Not them."

The blonde boy sighed and propped himself up on his elbow. "Alright then. Blaine, wear that pair of dark jeans you wore to the last movie-night instead; James remarked that your ass looked good in them and I'm just going to take his word for it. Kurt, give these poor people a chance to charm you. And now please get out of our room and let me sleep, alright?"

Blaine grinned and gently nudged Kurt who was totally ready to reply something to that ass-comment out of the room. "We're going, we're going. Have a nice weekend, we see you guys in Warbler practice on Monday!"

"Have fun," Jeff said.

Nick waited until the door closed behind the two boys before he turned to his best friend, asking, "So, James and you have been checking out Blaine's ass, huh?"

Jeff just sighed and tugged at his blanket. "Not much. It was more like a general discussion about who of the Warblers got the best butt, actually." He grinned at his best friend. "You came in second." Nick just chuckled, hopping of the bed. "I appreciate that."

Jeff just groaned and crawled under his blanket, burying his face into his pillow. Nick, who thought it best to let his roommate rest, retreated to his own bed in order to read for another hour. But he hadn't even finished the first chapter, when a soft voice drifted across the room.

"Do you think we did the right thing?"

"I thought you were asleep already."

"I can't sleep," Jeff admitted. "I'm still thinking about what happened today. And yesterday."

Nick thought about the question for a moment, and finally answered, "I really didn't like to butt in on their business, but I'm sorry – they behaved really ridiculously. Both of them."

"I don't think they behaved ridiculously," Jeff replied. "I just found it sad that they were ready to hurt each other this badly, even though they obviously care so much about each other."

Nick nodded again, asking softly, "We're not going to do that, right? Like, ever?"

"As long as you don't give me any reason to..." A pillow hit Jeff in the face, silencing him mid sentence. "That was a joke," he said indignantly and threw the pillow back at Nick. "Of course we will never do something like that."

Nick smiled contently and snuggled comfortably against his pillow, propping his book on his knees.

"Nick?"

"Weren't you the one demanding ten hours of sleep?" came the amused answer from across the room.

"I'm glad you stayed behind to talk to him."

"So am I," Nick mumbled, eyes already fixed on the next page of his book.

"Nick?"

"Hm?"

"I'm really glad you are my best friend."

Jeff had almost fallen asleep when he heard the soft words from the other bed.

"I wouldn't change that for the world, idiot. Now go to sleep. You earned it."

* * *

><p><em>Sigh. Teenage boys. The Drama.<em>

_I could go on and on about all the unresolved issues I have with BIOTA, which in my opinion was the worst glee-episode of all time (and not just for the Klaine-storyline), but I think I rather let this chapter speak for itself._

_I hope I didn't scare you away with all the drama in here. Maybe I should switch the genre over to hurt/comfort. No, really - I'm just glad it's over. I don't particularly like writing drama, and I fear I'm not very good at it. I like writing happy stories about happy Niff =D  
><em>

_Next up is "Sexy" – rather short compared to these last few chapters, but we'll get to know a little bit more about Nick and Jeff and how they became friends in the first place._

_Thank you so much for reading, and please, **PLEASE** let me know what you thought about his, because your reviews make my day. Or to quote Curt Mega, "An artist' performance is nothing without the interactive support and communication of the audience."_

_~ Nalasan_


	6. Sexy

_A/N: I usually do this at the end of each chapter, but I wanted to apologize for the delay and thank you for all your wonderful comments on the last chapter! I sincerely hope you will enjoy this one._

_**Disclaimer: _This story is for non-profit use and reader's enjoyment only. All creative rights concerning Glee, it's characters and any sayings and/or lyrics quoted here belong to their original creator(s)/artist(s)._**_

* * *

><p><em>"Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them." ~ <em>_W. Clement Stone_

_"Friendship at first sight, like love at first sight is said to be the only truth." ~ Herman Melville_

* * *

><p>"From now on, I want every of my birthday parties to be a foam party," Nick exclaimed, brushing a few wet bangs out of his eyes. Jeff grinned as he staggered towards his best friend, occasionally slipping on the wet floor.<p>

"I'm pretty sure you'll grow tired of this once you hit forty, but count me in!"

Nick grinned and bent down to pick up his blazer that lay abandoned on the floor. It was soaking wet. The brunette boy wrinkled his nose in disgust before he wrung it out.

"I'm pretty sure it's ruined," Jeff said unconcerned. It wasn't just for the fact that it was wet, but the feet of sixteen Warblers and nearly as many girls had just trampled over it approximately a hundred times during their performance. There was just no way Nick could still wear that.

"Maybe you're right," Nick sighed in acceptance, slinging the jacket over his shoulder. It wasn't like the performance hadn't been worth one ruined blazer.

Jeff's attention, however, was already somewhere else. "Why does Goran always get all the good-looking chicks?" he asked, his voice containing only the slightest hint of jealousy. Nick looked over his shoulder and spotted Goran and Flint, each chatting with three girls at once. He shrugged. "Taking into consideration that he goes through Crawford girls like there's no tomorrow, I'm guessing he's just greeting some old flames."

"Speaking of Crawford girls - why didn't Wes invite Beatrice?" Jeff asked, scrunching up his nose thoughtfully.

"I highly doubt that she would have had time for this between her exams and applying to foreign language schools and winning tennis championships," Nick answered, adding grinningly as an afterthought, "Plus, I doubt he appreciates having her around when _we_ are also present."

Beatrice Young, Wes' girlfriend and a senior at Crawford Country Day, was generally loved by every Warbler since the one time she showed up during a very stressful rehearsal when they were practising five different performances and brought them cupcakes. Not to mention she had called Wes "honey pie" in front of everybody, providing endless teasing material to annoy their lead council member.

"Look," Jeff said, his elbow hitting Nick's ribcage almost affectionately. He gestured towards Noel, the youngest Warbler and hopeless literature-nerd, who was standing in front of two giggling school-girls, looking absolutely horrified. "Maybe he has finally found somebody with whom he can talk about Shakespeare or Woopsworth or whatever these guys he's so keen on are called."

Nick decided that Jeff's literary ignorance was more endearing than frustrating and needed no correction. At least not for the moment.

"If that would be what they're talking about, Noel wouldn't look so absolutely terrified," he retorted. "But I'm sure Trevor will save him," he added, watching Noel's best friend tangling himself free from a group of Warblers and heading to save their youngest one.

Now that Jeff had started it, Nick looked around the hall, watching his teammates socialising with the Crawford girls – or keeping to themselves. The council was deep in conversation, probably reviewing the feedback they had received from their audience. Trent was talking to a girl who seemed every bit as shy as he was. It was rather adorable to watch them staring at their feet before one of them gathered up the courage to keep the conversation going.

"I think only Blaine has received more phone numbers than Goran," Jeff said, claiming Nick's attention once again.

"Then I'm not sure who to feel more sorry for – the girls that fall for Goran's devilish charm or the ones that'll have to discover that Blaine doesn't dig their sex," the brunette boy replied.

"It's going to be a disappointment for all of them, but speaking of which," Jeff said, scanning the hall searchingly, "Where is our fearless leader?"

"Over there, with Kurt," Nick replied, pointing towards the scaffold that had served them as a stage during their performance. Kurt was sitting there, apparently fixing his appearance. Blaine was standing in front of him, gesturing and talking, while Kurt was eying him with a look that spoke of pure suspicion and apprehension.

"I _wonder_ what they're talking about," Jeff remarked, and if Nick had to judge by the fact that his best friend already had an arm around him and was dragging him towards the other two, he'd say that Jeff was determined to find out.

Suddenly, he frowned and slowed down, causing them to remain out of hearing distance. "Jeff? Did you think that Kurt's dance moves were a little... over the top during 'Animal'?" Nick asked. What he had witnessed of it he had found rather weird and irritating, but maybe that had just been him.

Jeff blinked at him in confusion. "I thought they were pretty cool and original. Why?"

"Just asking," Nick mumbled, nudging again Jeff in the direction of the two other Warblers. Okay. So it really had just been his personal impression. Jeff was already smiling again and waving at a frowning Kurt, who did not seem too happy to see them approaching.

"Hey guys, what are you two talking about?" Jeff said, greeting Blaine with a pat on the shoulder. "Are you already planning our next performance? I mean, we totally put the 'sexy' back into the Warblers, didn't we?"

Before Blaine had any opportunity to comment on that, Kurt gave him a look that was decidedly nasty, saying, "Personally, I've had my share of sexy Warblers, thank you very much. Although I welcome the council finally trying something new, hopefully next time they choose something that doesn't involve us hopping around in front of a bunch of twelve-year olds."

Jeff shot Nick a questioning look who just shrugged. He suspected that Kurt was still pissed because the council had objected to both his song suggestion and his costume arrangement for the performance. And though Nick wouldn't mind to do a Justin Timberlake number, he was glad to be spared anything that involved leather and sequins.

Kurt's eyes suddenly narrowed, and Nick felt that a very uncomfortable stare was directed at him.

"Nicholas Richard Williams, please do tell me that this _thing_ over your shoulder has not been your blazer in its former life?"

Nick bit his lower lip, while Jeff just grinned in silent amusement. Shit, now he'd alerted the fashion police. Kurt, in the meantime, had hopped of the scaffold and was now standing next to him, inspecting the damp blazer. He made a _very_ disapproving noise in the back of his throat.

"It's ruined. You might as well toss it in the dumpster outside. No use keeping it."

"But maybe I could..." Nick protested, only to be cut off by the taller boy.

"What, use it as a mop?" Kurt's look was enough to silence Nick. "You can get those at the next supermarket, Nick. There's no need to torture this poor fabric any further." Jeff laughed and put an arm around Blaine's shoulders, who observed their discussion with sheepish amusement.

"Come on, fearless leader. I see Wes is bidding goodbye to our female guests, and I have the strong feeling that we'll be leaving soon. Let's join our brave council and leave these two to their fashion discussion."

Blaine shot a last apologizing grin at Kurt before Jeff started to pull him away. Kurt made the disapproving noise _again_, causing Nick to look inquiringly at the taller boy.

"You okay?" he asked since Kurt still looked like he had tasted something nasty. Kurt just shook his head vehemently, as if to get rid of whatever he was thinking about. "I'm fine," he said, and though Nick wasn't inclined to fully believe that, he accepted it. If Kurt wanted to talk about it, he would; if he didn't, there was no use to force him to.

"We should join the others, unless we want Wes to summon us personally," was therefore all he said. Kurt nodded, his eyes trailing towards the figures of Jeff and Blaine in front of them.

Things between Jeff and Kurt had been awkward for a little while, and all three of them had needed some time to get used to the new situation. The trust that had started to build between them had been shaken, but not been destroyed. After all, Jeff was the most trusting person Nick knew, and he wanted to forgive Kurt just as badly as Kurt wanted to be forgiven.

Nick knew that they had talked about what happened a second and a third time – talks Nick had witnessed from afar and had been informed about late at night long after curfew, when Jeff's whispers in the private of their dark dorm told him what he had discussed with Kurt.

Eventually, things between them settled, though they didn't get back to "normal". After having that big a fight that had crossed all personal boundaries and actually working _through_ it, it was impossible to go back to the caring, but nonetheless shallow friendship they had before. Things changed, but surprisingly – they changed for the better.

The three of them had spent hours at the Lima Bean or in Nick's and Jeff's dorm, just sitting around, sipping coffee or hot chocolate or tea, talking about their lives.

Kurt showed how thankful he was for their support and friendship by slowly starting opening up to them, though he still was rather reserved when it came to personal stuff. In return, Nick and Jeff had filled him in on how life at Dalton worked.

They told him how they decided to join the Warblers and about the auditions of the other guys. Kurt had been most interested in the description of Blaine's first performance, which had caused Nick to roll his eyes and Jeff to make suggestive remarks until Kurt threatened to continue their conversations exclusively in French - a language Jeff destested with all his heart. They told him stories of pranks played in classes and to the Warblers council (granted, glue on the chair wasn't very innovative, but Thad's puffy, angry face had been totally worth it). They told him about midnight video game parties and former competitions and how one time almost every Dalton student got food-poisoning because the cafeteria had served fresh fish that hadn't been that fresh anymore. (Since Jeff hated fish, he got lucky that time – and spent three days distracting his sick best friend from throwing up by reading two Harry-Potter-books and eight Batman comics to him).

Of course there were still things they weren't yet comfortable sharing: Nick had yet to mention the recent divorce of his parents, Jeff hadn't filled Kurt in on how his former best friend reacted when he came out to him, and Kurt usually fell silent when he tried to tell them about the bullying at his old school, like he couldn't bring himself to tell them all the details.

But nevertheless, the trust between them was growing rapidly.

Funnily enough, Nick noticed how the exact same thing happened between Kurt and Blaine.

Having mastered the first serious crisis of their relationship, the two of them grew impossibly close. Jeff and Nick knew that Kurt's feelings towards Blaine hadn't changed at all – if anything, they only intensified. Still, it was impossible for them to determine whether Blaine's feelings had changed at all – and if they did, whether he was aware of them.

But since Kurt and Blaine had now truly become inseparable (except for the few times they managed to drag Kurt away for some "Nikuff"-quality time, how Jeff, who had been smitten with the idea of couple-nicknames Kurt introduced to them, had baptized them (which caused Kurt and Nick to both ignore him for half an hour straight)), Nick found himself spending more and more time with Blaine – and he discovered that once he was able to look past the lead-vocalist-exterior, he actually came to grow fond of Blaine.

And it wasn't only that Nick and Jeff were on their way to actually _befriend_ Blaine: the Warblers generally seemed to grow closer. It was how Noel actually started talking to the others in understandable English and stopped quoting Byron or Poe every time an opportunity arouse. It was how Adrian and Trevor had invited everybody to visit them at their cottage during the summer break, and how _everybody_ actually planned to take them on their offer. It was how at one evening after a long practice-session, Wes had looked at his exhausted teammates and, instead of delivering his usual non-motivating motivation speech, just said, "Oh screw it. Thad, David, we're ordering pizza. Now."

Nick felt a finger gently poking his cheek, irritatedly snapped out of thoughts and swatted Jeff's hand away from his face. The blonde boy just grinned, turned to Kurt and said, "See? Whenever he is spacing out, you either do that or you ruffle his hair, whatever annoys him more."

Nick glared at his best friend, "I do not space out." When all Jeff did was raising his left eyebrow, he sighed and added, "Much."

Kurt looked from the brunette to the blonde boy for a moment before he said, "Can I ask you guys a question?"

"Sure."

"How exactly did the two of you become friends?" Kurt asked.

Jeff sighed dramatically, "It was a love at first sight."

Nick just snorted, "No it wasn't."

Jeff, undisturbed by the fact that his best friend was contradicting him, continued, "It was our first day at Dalton. I was wandering through the corridors, a bit afraid because I didn't know anybody yet and wasn't sure whether my fellow classmates would turn out to be horrible snobs or not. I was searching for my classroom when I spotted another person in the hall, staring at a piece of paper and looking every bit as forlorn as I felt that moment."

"You do have to make this sound like the beginning of the sappiest gay-teen-romance-movie ever, don't you?" Nick complained. Unperturbed, Jeff continued, "Like I said, looking every bit as forlorn as I felt that moment, so I approached him. And when he looked up and our eyes met, I instantly knew this was the person I was destined to share my Dalton Academy life with, play pranks to our beloved council and win every National show choir competition with."

Kurt rolled his eyes and looked inquiringly at Nick, eager to hear the true story. The brunette boy just shrugged, "We met in the cafeteria. He sat down next to me and told me that I could use a new haircut."

Jeff frowned at his best friend. "Nick, you are ruining the magic of our first encounter."

Nick just sighed. "It wasn't magical, Jeff. You told me my hair was a mess, but that you liked it that way, introduced yourself and followed me to every class we had together."

The blonde boy just winked, "And you just couldn't resist my charm."

"I wasn't very good on ignoring people back then, that's all."

"When weren't you good on ignoring people?" asked Blaine's voice from somewhere behind Kurt. The countertenor turned around and explained, "Nick and Jeff are informing me about their "magical" first encounter."

"Oh, you mean when Nick knocked over his cocoa and ruined Jeff's blazer and Jeff threw spaghetti at him?"

Nick felt his cheeks heat up almost instantly at hearing the true account on his first meeting with Jeff. He had been so nervous at his first talk to a classmate (especially since said classmate had very irritatingly insulted his hair and said he liked him in basically the same sentence), that he really had knocked over his cocoa, which made a light-brown puddle on the table and soaked through Jeff's blazer. Nick had found himself unable to stop apologizing, convinced that he had ruined everything and this boy would positively _hate_ him for the rest of his life. When none of Jeff's reassuring words (that it wasn't that bad and things like that happened, he had siblings to prove it) had not gotten through to Nick, Jeff had seen no other way then to take a spoonful of his spaghetti and dump it affectionately on Nick's sleeve. When the brunette boy had stared at him in shock, Jeff had just taken his napkin to brush the noodles off Nick's arm, saying with a sheepish grin, "Now we're even. Can we please eat now? We only have like fifteen minutes before our next class starts."

Kurt grinned at Nick, who realized that though he was glad Kurt's mood had lightened up, he would have preferred _not_ being the cause of it.

"You have a history of ruining blazers, haven't you?"

"How do _you_ even know that?" Jeff asked Blaine indignantly.

Blaine blinked at him disbelievingly, "Everybody knows that. It's the second most awkward starting of a Warbler friendship we have." When Kurt looked at him inquiringly, he added, "It loses to Goran and Flint starting a discussion on gay porn as a literary genre during the very first Warbler auditions."

"I stand by my opinion that our first encounter was magical," Jeff retorted, staring at Blaine with a true look of indignation. Nick just sighed.

No, their first encounter had been anything but magical. But didn't that make the friendship they had now – and if it was up to Nick, would continue to have at least until their grandkids graduated from high school – even more amazing?

"Alright fellow Warblers," Wes said, while David and Thad ushered the boys to be silent. "After gathering feedback from our audience, I feel safe to claim that this performance was truly one of our..."

Wes' eyes narrowed suddenly.

"Nicholas Richard Williams, is that thing over your shoulder your _Dalton blazer_?"

Nick just groaned, ignoring Jeff's heartfelt laughter. This was going to be a _long_ ride home.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I'm immensely, extremely, utterly, completely sorry it took me so long to update. I could tell you about university, my BA-thesis, ilnesses, laptops crashing down and taking half-written chapters (and university stuff) with them… but I guess you get the idea. But since I handed in my BA-thesis this morning, it's safe to say that from now on, updates will be more frequent. _

_About this chapter: I had to keep this one short, because there is just _**_no way in hell_**_ that either Blaine or Kurt would **ever** talk about the sex-issues they discuss with each other to outsiders – not even to charming ones like Jeff and Nick. So yeah, this is more of an interlude – but don't worry: the next chapter will be _**_considerably_**_ longer._

_Next up is "_Original Song_", of course, though I'm not sure where to go from there. I thought a long time about how long this story was going to be, whether I should end with _Original Song_ or add some _Night of Neglect_ moments and a _Somewhere Only We Know_ chapter... I'm still not sure. To me, OS will be kind of the end, basically because the end of the Original Song Chapter was actually the first thing about this story I wrote, and it still is my personal perfect ending. But it would be nice to add some closure AND write an explanation for Kurt's transfer back to McKinley (because as far as I could see, glee had none). We'll see._

_I'm aware that this chapter is a bit more crappy than usual, but my two betas are both on vacation and I haven't slept properly since approximately 30 hours... But I really wanted to update. Again, I sincerely apologize for the delay. I hope just hope you're still with me and enjoy reading the story. Reviews are, as always, immensely appreciated – I loved each and every review I received for the chapter on BIOTA! I'm so glad you guys liked it!_

_To make up for the delay, I also wrote a one-shot about the time when Nick was ill and Jeff took care of him that's mentioned in this chapter. Anyone interested in that? It's not brilliant, but nice and fluffy._

_Take care_

_~Nalasan_


	7. Original Song

_**Disclaimer: This story is for non-profit use and reader's enjoyment only. All creative rights concerning Glee, it's characters and any sayings and/or lyrics quoted here belong to their original creator(s)/artist(s).**_

* * *

><p>"<em>Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives." ~ C.S. Lewis<em>

"_I feel the capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest significance." ~ Pablo Casals_

"_Friendship is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." ~ Aristotle_

"_We are all travellers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend." ~ Robert Louis Stevenson_

* * *

><p>When Nick had been seven years old, all he had wanted for Christmas was a cat. He had written uncountable letters to Santa, and – because of the dawning realisation that maybe there was another, safer option to get what he wanted – he had been bugging his parents for months before the 25th of December finally arrived.<p>

He would always remember that Christmas morning when he had run down the stairs and lunged himself at the pile of presents lying under the Christmas tree, while his parents had simply smiled at each other and watched him from the ignored breakfast table. While he had ripped open every package that had his name in bright, bold letters on it, his expression had grown more and more disappointed, and after he had opened the last one – which contained a carefully knitted scarf from his grandmother – he had been on the brink of tears.

Luckily, both for him and his parents who generally cherished their quiet, undisturbed mornings, his aunt had chosen this moment to ring their door bell. Hidden underneath her coat had been a tiny ball of orange-white-black-brown fur, which later – under the influence of his musical-loving mother – should be named Rumpleteazer.

Nick knew that he would never forget the moment when he had held the tiny creature in his arms for the first time, with his fingers carefully brushing her soft fur.

It had been magical.

Of course, he would very much love to forget the following minutes, when he had squeezed the cat too tight in all his joy, which had naturally resulted in Teazer scratching _and_ biting him; finally escaping his arms to explore her new home and leaving a howling Nick behind.

But despite their problematic first meeting, until present day Teazer remained a beloved member of the Williams family, and Nick could not stand the thought of ever losing her. Which was why he was the first Warbler to hug Kurt tightly after his _Blackbird_ performance; closely followed by Jeff, who was always distressed when he saw people cry, and Jason, who had been Pavarotti's keeper before Kurt and could obviously relate to his loss.

Kurt endured the embraces rather awkwardly. Nick and Jeff knew by now that the boy was not one for physical contact in times of emotional turmoil – but hugging him at least it made _them_ feel like they had done something to help him.

"I'm so sorry Kurt," Jeff said, continuing to awkwardly pat Kurt's shoulder in hope to console the other boy.

"Thank you Jeff," Kurt replied, his voice still thick with tears. Even though he had probably needed the _Blackbird_ performance to cope with the loss, Nick personally thought that Kurt now needed something that could distract or calm him down. No use in getting even more worked up about the death of the little Warbler. Since Jeff was obviously not up to the job, he turned around to get Blaine for support – and found him sitting in the exact spot he had been in since the beginning of Kurt's performance, eyes still fixed on the boy in mourning, with an expression on his face that could best be described as 'flabbergasted'.

Nick was fairly sure that Blaine was too young to get a stroke.

"Blaine?" he asked, resisting the urge to snap his fingers in front of Blaine's face. "Don't you have anything to say to Kurt?"

The leading vocalist snapped out of whatever daze he had been in, and, shaking his head twice as if to banish whatever thoughts had been occupying his brain, he moved towards Kurt. Nick had expected him to also hug the other boy, but strangely enough, Blaine only settled on simply patting the very shoulder Jeff had previously occupied.

"I'm so very sorry, Kurt," he said, his eyes shining with something that was not compassion. "If there's anything I can do to…"

"I'll let you know," Kurt said, trying bravely to smile a watery smile. "Thanks, Blaine."

Jeff chose that moment to blow his nose very loudly, and Nick couldn't help but raise his left eyebrow bemusedly at the awkward scene in front of him. Either something was up – or they were all just really bad at public displays of comfort these days.

* * *

><p>"I think he is acting decidedly strange."<p>

"You mean, stranger than normal?"

"At lunch today, he poured gravy over his green-garden-salad and ate it while staring dreamily into space and humming _Eight Days A Week_."

"Ya. Beatles. Not _that_ unusual."

"Not the song, dumbass. The food."

"As unusual as some of his food choices sometimes are, that _is_ weird – even for Blaine."

"Agreed. And we're talking about the guy who practically forced us into performing a foam party in front of a bunch of giggling teenage girls."

"... you're not going to ever forgive him that, are you, Noel?"

"After I almost died of mortification? Not likely to happen."

"Can we please focus on the original topic of this discussion?"

"Right, sorry Adrian."

"Maybe it's just a phase. Maybe he saw a chick-flit he can't get over, or read a sappy novel, or..."

"... or met a cute Banana-Republic-employee?"

"Everything is possible."

"Yeah, but no matter how strange he acts normally, he usually never lets it affect our rehearsals."

"He missed his cue_ three __times_ yesterday!"

"Really? I didn't notice."

"That's 'cause you were asleep."

"Am I the only one who is _really_ concerned that our lead vocalist is behaving weirdly when we have Regionals coming up?"

"Nah. I'm pretty sure I saw Wes banging his head against a wall after yesterday's rehearsal."

"Has somebody already thought of actually _asking_ Blaine what's the matter with him?"

"Yup, Nick and I tried that. He just mumbled something and ran off!"

"And what was that about singing a duet with Kurt the other day?"

"What about that?"

"Didn't you find that weird? I mean, he normally isn't _that_ keen on sharing the spotlight."

"You know, maybe Blaine just realised that Kurt actually is one of our best singers and that their voices sound _divine_ together."

"Or maybe he realised that his feelings for Kurt are not of the friendship but rather of the romantic kind and now he wants to seduce him by getting him a solo part and putting him into the spotlight."

"... right, Goran. Like there's any chance of _that_ ever happening."

* * *

><p>Nick yelped in pain when he felt Jeff's fingers digging deep into his arm, clinging to him with a deadly grip.<p>

"Jeff, what the hell…?"

Nick stopped mid-sentence when he spotted what had caused Jeff's sudden urge to hold onto him. Across the hall, at the bottom of the staircase, Kurt and Blaine stood, apparently saying goodbye to each other. Nick had only a short moment to wonder why Kurt was still here, for it was two hours past the time he would usually head home. But when he saw Blaine leaning forward, brushing his fingertips lovingly over Kurt's cheek before pressing a lingering kiss to his forehead, it all began to make perfect sense.

A small part of Nick's brain registered that Blaine was standing two steps higher than Kurt, which evened out their height-difference, something which Nick would have found hilarious under normal circumstances. But in this particular moment, his brain was far too occupied with the question _when __the __hell __that __had __happened_.

A faint blush tinted Kurt's cheeks when Blaine stepped back. He said a few words neither Nick nor Jeff could understand, Blaine nodded, and with a very long last look at him Kurt took off to the direction of the main entrance. Blaine remained on the staircase, watching Kurt's receding figure until he turned a corner; then, slowly the biggest, silliest grin started spreading across his face.

**"DUDE!"**

Nick jumped, as did Blaine. While he had still been frozen in utter shock on seeing Kurt and Blaine – finally – acting upon the feelings they both had for each other, Jeff had recovered rather quickly, and was now obviously craving for an explanation.

At Jeff's exclamation, Blaine had turned around, and – when he realized that the two boys had been standing in the hall for quite some time – started blushing furiously.

"Did I just see what I think I saw?" Jeff asked, practically jumping with excitement and looking at Blaine inquiringly. The lead vocalist grinned sheepishly while the blush on his neck and cheeks intensified.

"Maybe."

While Nick still felt too shocked to act, Jeff shouted "Yes!", high-fived a slightly overwhelmed looking Blaine, and turned around to Nick, wearing a grin that matched Blaine's.

"You owe me your _entire_ collection of _Star Wars_ Comics."

"Jeff, that was never an actual _bet_," Nick protested. "Just a figure of speech."

Jeff snorted, "Yeah, that's what I'd say."

"Wait," Blaine interrupted, eyes darting back and forth between Nick and Jeff. "You guys _bet_ on whether Kurt and I would get together?"

Nick shook his head, "No. The question of 'if' was never really involved. It was _exclusively_ about the 'when'."

"Nick assumed you would need the summer break and a few months of 'Kurt-less existence' to get a clue," Jeff added. "I said it would totally happen this spring."

"You still loose to Trevor and Sean," Nick reminded him. "They said they'd get together before Regionals."

Blaine stared at them, "Who exactly was involved in this?"

"Practically everybody," Jeff said unconcerned. "Although Noel said you guys would probably never make it with your horrible timing, and Thad and Wes refused to bet on the love-life of their fellow Warblers. Apparently it's against some moral Warbler code that only exists in their heads."

"Yeah right," Nick snorted. "_I_ saw that grin after they paired you up for the duet."

Blaine still looked like he had a hard time believing that he himself was the topic of any first-rate Warbler gossip.

"Anyways," Jeff said, eyeing his lead vocalist curiously, "When _did_ it happen?"

Blaine blushed again, "This afternoon. I wanted to practice our duet with Kurt, and I went to pick him up, and… well…" he trailed off, eager to leave the rest to Nick's and Jeff's imagination.

He obviously didn't know Jeff well enough yet.

"And?" inquired the blonde boy, "You told him that you've been talking about him ever since the first time you met him, that he became your best friend in basically no time, that he coped with whatever crap you threw at him, and that you've been madly in love with him since practically _ever_, you've only been too dense to notice it?"

Nick had seen their lead vocalist looking uncomfortable before (for a certain time it had been enough to hum the first notes if _When I get you alone_ to make Blaine blush), but that was nothing compared to the current look of discomfort on Blaine's face.

"Yeah, well… I think I got the gist of that across, yeah."

"Sure you did," Nick grinned.

"Speaking of which..." Jeff asked. "... when _did_ you realise you were in love with Kurt?"

"During _Blackbird_," Blaine answered, his smile turning decidedly mushy while he apparently remembered the performance. "I mean, when he sang, he was just so... just so..."

"Just so _Kurt_," Nick added, clapping the lead vocalist on the shoulder. "We get it, Blaine."

"We're just happy that Noel wasn't right about you two _never_ getting a clue," Jeff said.

"Yeah, ahm, about that..." Blain said looking from Nick to Jeff and back to Nick, "Would you mind not telling the others yet? I mean, I don't want Kurt to come to school tomorrow and be overwhelmed by you guys throwing a 'Congratulations'-Party."

"We wouldn't..." Nick tried to reassure, but got interrupted by his best friend midsentence, "I _totally_ would. And so would the rest of the guys. But if you don't want that, we won't tell to the others about it, Blaine. Promised."

This of course didn't mean that the two of them didn't talk about their lead vocalist and the countertenor in the evening while doing their math homework.

"Is it bad that I actually want to call Kurt to get his account on what exactly happened?" Jeff asked, looking at his best friend in contemplation.

Nick shot his best friend a disapproving look while half-heartedly scribbling down some random formula. "Come on, Jeff – we're not two twelve-year olds who can't wait to discuss the latest gossip with their girlfriends. We're patient and content with waiting till tomorrow."

"Why tomorrow?" Jeff asked, mentally skipping over his schedule to determine whether either of them had classes with Kurt. They didn't.

"Because we're totally going to kidnap him after Warbler re..." Nick was interrupted by the buzzing of his phone. Looking at the screen that announced the four-letter-name of the person calling him, he slowly started grinning.

"Or maybe we won't have to."

* * *

><p>"Well, maybe it's a good thing we didn't win after all," Jeff remarked. Nick lifted his head up from the pillow he had buried his face into, just high enough to be able to glance at his roommate, who was stretched out full-length on his bed.<p>

"Where is this suddenly coming from?"

Jeff shrugged, causing the comforter he was lying upon to crinkle up even more. "I was just thinking, that's all."

Nick snorted. "A few hours ago you were so devastated, you didn't even notice a lady getting punched in the face right before our eyes, and now you think it's a _good_ thing we lost?"

Jeff rolled over to lie on his side, facing his best friend.

"Think about it. If we _had_ won, we would have gone to New York. And I bet we would have gotten a really nice hotel with really, _really_ nice rooms, which of course would have had really nice king-size beds in them. As awesome as this would have been, we would have been forced to pair up, and, well, obviously Blaine and Kurt would have ended up being roomies. And these really, really nice king-size beds would have naturally inspired them to have awesome sex all night long. But maybe, Wes and Thad would have had the room next to them, and they would most likely have heard what Kurt and Blaine were up to in the next room. This would have been the moment in which Thad would have realized that he is secretly crushing on Blaine, and he would have become all mopy and depressed and would have cried and whined and quoted the passage from the Warblers' handbook which clearly forbids any countertenor to hook up with our lead vocalist, and that would have had infuriated Wes, because contrariwise he will never tolerate _council__ members_ crushing on the lead vocalist, and then they would have either killed each other, or they would have marched into Kurt's and Blaine's room to stop whatever would have been going on in there, which would have been even worse, because due to Kurt being involved, this would have turned into a loud, _bitchy_ fight that would have woken up everyone on the same floor, which probably would have meant all of the Warblers plus some innocent tourists, and then none of us would have had been able to get some sleep, and we all would have missed breakfast because we would have slept in, and then – "

He was silenced by the pillow Nick threw at his face. "Stop making me laugh, will you? I was planning on being depressed for a few more hours!"

Jeff hugged the pillow to his body, grinning at Nick. "But you know I'm right."

"There _is_ no such thing as a Warbler handbook."

"Yet. I'm pretty sure Thad is working on one. Wes will probably be too busy writing down the history of the Dalton Academy Warblers, so..."

Even though he was still pretty upset about their defeat at Regionals, Nick couldn't help but grin. "If they knew you're making fun of them, you'll never get a solo again."

"But you can't tell on me, because if you did that, I'd be telling them how brilliant your imitation of Wes throwing his gavel at Trent is. And then we'd be both warbling alone in our room."

Nick frowned. "That doesn't even sound as awful as it should, does it?"

"No."

Both were silent for a long time, thinking about their day.

"We were really, really good, weren't we?" Nick finally asked.

"We were," Jeff nodded. He buried his nose into Nick's pillow and added, "All of us were. I mean, my dance moves were off the hook and all, but..."

"Kurt was amazing," Nick added. "And Blaine was amazing because Kurt was amazing."

Jeff nodded. "You know, sometimes I wonder whether Kurt coming to Dalton was actually the best thing that could have happened to us."

Nick's eyes followed a tiny spider that slowly crawled over the ceiling, "He really loosened us up, didn't he?"

"Yeah."

Nick smiled. "Well, I'm not sure whether Kurt was the best thing that happened to us. But I'm pretty sure that he is the best thing that ever could have happened to Blaine."

"Yeah. But don't say that out loud when Thad is around."

Nick reached for his pillow to throw at Jeff before remembering that he had already done that. At times like this he regretted not owning more pillows. Or any stuffed animals.

"Thad is just being his usual fanboy-self, and he's projecting some hero-image onto Blaine. It's a complex, not a crush. Give me my pillow back."

"Why?"

"Because I want to go to sleep."

"But I haven't told you all my theories about how Thad could murder Kurt and make it look like an accident yet..."

"Jeff, stop making fun of Thad and give me my pillow back."

Jeff pouted, but tossed it to his room-mate anyways. He had learned in the years of their friendship that screwing around with a tired Nick just wasn't funny. Both boys changed into their pyjamas and crawled into their beds, worn out from everything the day had thrown at them: hope, excitement, happiness, disappointment, frustration, and finally, contentment.

Nick closed his eyes, wondering whether the spider had also found its place for the night. He could still feel the disappointment deep down in his stomach, but hey – this had been their best performance ever. And they had had so much fun on the stage. Even if they didn't win anything – shouldn't that alone be reason enough to be satisfied?

He was half-asleep before a last, almost blurred thought occurred to him. "If we would have gotten to New York – _you_ would have been my roomy, right?"

He could almost _feel_ Jeff's grin radiating from across the other side of the room. "Sure, bro. I'm pretty sure none of the others could cope with your snoring. And us winning Nationals would have been really ruined if somebody justifiably but tragically strangled you in your sleep, right?"

Nick smiled, finally drifting to sleep, visiting a world in his dreams where maybe, possibly, they could still win Nationals. "Yah, I love you too buddy. Goodnight."

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><p><em>AN Surprisingly (to myself, at least), I'm not dead. I am extremely sorry that it took me so insanely long to update. Real life kept getting in the way, and university is more stressful than ever since I started my MA studies. But since I did have some spare time lately and was feeling creative (or bored, depending on the respective lecture I was attending), the next two (and last) chapters are nearly finished. I will upload _Night of Neglect_ hopefully by next Wednesday or Thursday, and _Born this Way_ will follow soon after._

_Oh, and some of you asked whether there will be more Niff in the story. Personally, I think there's plenty of Niff in it. Plenty of beautiful Niff friendship. But I know you guys are waiting for some romance between the two. Well, all I'm going to say is: We will see. ;D_

_This chapter - I know it's not my best work, and the use of tenses seems to be awfully off - but I just wanted to get it over and done with at some point.  
><em>

_Thank you guys for all your wonderful reviews and for putting up with my slow updates. I just hope you're still with me! _

_~ Nalasan  
><em>


	8. A Night of Neglect

__**Disclaimer: This story is for non-profit use and reader's enjoyment only. All creative rights concerning Glee, it's characters and any sayings and/or lyrics quoted here belong to their original creator(s)/artist(s).**__

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><p><em>"Who, being loved, is poor?" ~ Oscar Wilde<em>

_"How happy could I be with either, / Were t'other dear charmer away! / But while ye thus tease me together, / To neither a word will I say." ~ John Gay_

_"To conceal anything from those to whom I am attached, is not in my nature. I can never close my lips where I have opened my heart." ~ Charles Dickens_

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><p>"Tell me again why we're doing this?"<p>

Jeff looked at his best friend who was whispering furiously into his ear.

"Why we're doing what?" he whispered back, quite unnecessarily so. It was impossible for the others to hear their conversation over the dulcet sounds of Nathan and Blaine belting out _Paranoid_ at the top of their lungs; and with four Warblers rooting for Nathan, and Kurt – loyally – cheering for Blaine.

"Why did we decide to have seven guys wrecking havoc in our dorm?"

Jeff grinned. Almost two years at Dalton hadn't managed to fully convince Nick to become a party person, and Jeff had the feeling that maybe it would never happen.

"It was _your_ idea, wasn't it?"

"It was not," Nick protested. "_I_ merely invited Kurt and Blaine over for a movie night."

"Yeah. In front of _Nathan_, which is the equivalent of posting a general invitation on your facebook page," Jeff said, pouring popcorn into a bowl. "Seriously, Nicky – you can be thankful he only brought four other guys along."

Nick sighed just as the song came to an end and everyone enthusiastically applauded Blaine and Nathan. "It's just that we haven't seen much of Kurt lately. He's always busy either spending time with Blaine, or studying with Blaine, or helping out at the garage, with Blaine, or visiting his old glee-club friends, with Blaine, naturally..."

"And since my company is quite obviously not sufficient for you, you thought that if you invited Blaine over, Kurt would automatically drag along," Jeff concluded. "You jealous, strategic genius."

"I'm not jealous," Nick protested. "I wish them all the happiness in the world – I just wish we could be around to witness it."

"Don't worry – the honeymoon-phase usually wears off after the first three months," a dry voice next to Jeff's elbow remarked. Startled, the blonde boy turned around to see Thom standing next to him, looking at the other boys going crazy in front of the TV-screen. The youngest Warbler was known for his cutting sarcasm, answering questions exclusively with literary quotations and a tendency to shy away from any friendliness that became to intimate.

Jeff was still wondering why Nathan had brought the younger boy along, for he was obviously uncomfortable being here, at least uncomfortable enough to leave the bunch of boys who were currently displaying a very random dance routine to _Y.M.C.A_ and decided to join Nick and Jeff on the windowsill.

"You're speaking from experience?" Nick inquired, asking himself for the first time whether Thom was into girls or boys.

The raven-haired boy answered, "Well, one cannot go through life without encountering a certain amount of sickening public displays of love, however "endearing" the general public may think they are. Or as Moliere points out: '_I _prefer a pleasant vice to an annoying virtue.'"

Nick grinned when he saw that Jeff was staring at Thom with a look of clear irritation on his face. The boy was complicated, but he sure was entertaining.

Thom wrinkled his nose in a way that was actually kind of adorable while looking at Blaine and Kurt, who were sitting next to each other on the bed, legs entangled, shoulders bumping, cheeks flushed, "At least they stopped singing love songs to each other."

"But doesn't Shakespeare say 'If music be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it, so that, surfeiting, the appetite may sicken and then die'?" Nick asked, very well aware that Jeff's incredulous glance was now directed at him. Sometimes he forgot that Nick grew up with a literature-loving mother, who had Shakespeare and Jane Austen quotations taped to the walls of their bathroom.

Thom, however, gave him a look of decided approval, and Nick was pretty sure that his popularity with the raven-haired boy had just increased tremendously.

"Literary quotes I do not understand aside," Jeff said, grabbing the bowl of popcorn again, "I don't care much for their honeymoon phase – but with Blaine not around it's getting way harder to kick Nathan's and David's butt at _Street Fighter_."

Nick turned to give his best friend an I-sincerely-wish-I-had-your-problems-look, but stopped immediately when he realized that Thom was doing exactly the same.

Nick's phone chose that moment to start buzzing, only barely noticeable over the noise of James and Flint bouncing on Jeff's bed to the first notes of _Dynamite_.

"Pizza's here," Nick said, hopping off the windowsill and shoving his phone into his back pocket.

"You need help?" Jeff asked, mouth full with popcorn. Nick shook his head. "Nah, I think I can handle it. And I need you to watch out for those guys." He pointed at the other boys. "Make sure they don't break anything."

He was aware of the fact that Jeff would most likely join them the very minute they decided to sing _Highway to Hell_, but it couldn't hurt to remind him. Nick walked past Flint who was trying very hard not to fall off the mattress and a brightly-grinning Blaine who was bouncing in sync with the music. He was already at the door when somebody called, "Wait a second, Nick." The dark-haired boy turned around to see Kurt tangling himself free from the cluster of boys shouting "LIKE IT'S DY-NA-MITE!" to the TV-screen.

"You're getting the pizza?"

Nick nodded. Kurt's cheeks were flushed and his hair was only the slightest bit out of place, but the smile on his face showed very clearly how much he was enjoying himself.

"I'll help you," he said, dragging Nick out of the room before the boy had the chance to protest and shutting the door carefully behind him.

Nick rolled his eyes, his amused expression betraying his fake annoyance, "Why is everybody assuming I'm not capable of handling a few pizzas?"

"Maybe because you do have a history of clumsiness," Kurt answered, cutting Nick's objection to the statement short by adding, "You made Wes yelp yesterday when you dropped your chemistry book on his foot. He still claims you did it on purpose."

"I didn't."

"I assumed as much, but I also think after forcing us to stay an hour longer at yesterday's rehearsal because of 'not living up to the high standards of generations of Dalton Academy performers', Wes is right in being a bit paranoid. If you wouldn't have dropped that book, I most certainly would have."

Nick looked at the taller boy walking next to him through the quiet corridors of the old school, and could not help but to compare him to the shy, withdrawn boy that had transferred to Dalton half a year ago. The one who had jumped at every loud sound, the one who had flinched whenever somebody asked him a personal question; the one who hab been desperately trying to fit in with a group and failed to see that said group was already more than eager to accept him.

As good as Kurt's influence had certainly been on the Warblers – Nick liked to flatter himself thinking that they had been able to give something back.

"Have I been neglecting you?" Kurt suddenly asked, his eyes not quite meeting Nick's, his hands busy adjusting the scarf-du-jour (greyish and blueish stripes mixed with some white squares).

Nick looked at him in befuddlement, "Pardon?"

"Well – you know I took Blaine with me the other night? To my former glee club's performance?"

"That 'Night-of-Neglect-thing' you mentioned?"

"Exactly. Well, after the performance and the after-party, Blaine and I stayed in the car and talked for a while, and I told him that I feel like I'm starting to lose any connection to them that is still left. I mean, I just really felt like an outsider, sitting in the audience, watching them perform on stage... and that felt really weird."

Kurt bit down on his lower lip, brows furrowed in thought, "Blaine then remarked that we also didn't spend much time with you guys lately, and it was only after he pointed it out that I realised he was right. And..."

"Kurt," Nick interrupted. "We get it. You are in love. Blaine is in love, and horribly sappy so, if I might add." At least if the way the lead vocalist was staring at his boyfriend during history lessons, lunch and Warbler practice was any indication. "Of course Jeff and I complain about being neglected, but we're just joking. Really," he added, seeing the dubious expression on Kurt's face. "We're happy you guys _finally _got together, even though we tease you about it."

"Well, you know, if Jeff and you would stop insisting that you're "just friends" and became an item, we could double date," Kurt suggested, a cheeky smile on his face.

"You've heard that Jeff is dating somebody, didn't you?" Nick asked. They now had reached the bottom of the staircase, their footsteps loud in the empty hallways. As lively as the dorms were at night – the class rooms, the library and the senior commons always reminded Nick of a ghost town.

It took him a second to realise that Kurt was no longer walking next to him, and he turned around to see the countertenor standing frozen at the last step of the staircase, his surprised gaze directed at Nick, "I have _not_ heard that Jeff is dating somebody. _Why_ haven't I heard that Jeff is dating somebody?"

Nick's grin bordered on being malicious. "Well, if you wouldn't spend so much time with your boyfriend and remind yourself from time to time that you have other friends who have their own life going on..."

"Oh, do shut up Nick," Kurt huffed indignantly, catching up to the brunette boy. "Shouldn't you be telling me who Jeff is dating?"

Nick just smiled amusedly, "Isn't that something you should ask Jeff and not me?"

"Oh, don't worry – I will," Kurt said, walking next to Nick to the side entrance door they always used for receiving food late at night. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Kurt, we're just grabbing these pizzas and will be back in our dorm in less than five minutes," Nick answered. "I'm sure your curiosity can wait that long."

In his back pocket, Nick's phone started buzzing again while the brunette boy was unlocking the door. "We're here, calm down," he mumbled under his breath and opened the door to reveal a very impatient looking delivery boy who was shuffling on his feet, and when seeing Nick, pushed the pizza cartons in his arms hurriedly, "Two salami, one vegetarian, one cheesetastic, and two ham-pepperoni-olive," he said. "That'll be thirty..."

"Sam?" Kurt interrupted, peering around the wooden doorframe. He looked perplexed at the blonde boy in front of him. Nick needed a second to recognise the boy standing in front of him – he had heard him sing at Sectionals, and he had seen him goof around with Nathan and David at Breadsticks while discussing whether _Star Wars_ or _Star Trek_ was the superior Sci-Fi-universe on Valentine's day.

Nick's gaze wondered from Kurt's surprised expression to Sam, who had frozen when he heard Kurt calling his name, his face first becoming alarmingly pale, only to now flush in a deep scarlet colour.

Nick was not an expert on Kurt's relationships to his former glee-clubbers – but he sensed that whatever was going on there probably needed a minute of alone time between the boys to get sorted out. Maybe he could still be proving being capable of transporting six pizzas up to their dorm on his own after all.

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><p>"Well, this is not how the original plan was, but it's nice nevertheless," Kurt said, bringing his knees up to his chest and resting his mug of hot chocolate on his right knee.<p>

"What was the original plan?" Jeff asked. Kurt shrugged, "Well, I _was_ supposed to spend the night in Blaine's room."

"You _are_ spending the night in Blaine's room," Nick answered. "Yeah," Jeff agreed. "Just with us instead of James and Blaine."

After three hours of excessive karaoke and a considerable amount of pizza, most of the other guys had passed out on Nick's and Jeff's beds while watching _Scream 3_. All except Thom, who had bid them goodbye shortly after midnight and disappeared into his room clutching his volume of Keats' poems.

Since their beds had been occupied, Nick, Jeff and Kurt decided to spend the night in James' and Blaine's empty dorm. Nick and Jeff were content with bunking in James bed, leaving Blaine's bed to Kurt.

Jeff had taken a little trip down to the kitchen to supply them with hot chocolate and cookies, and they now snuggled up on the beds, ignoring that the clock over Blaine's desk was showing two in the morning and that they would get into serious trouble if they got caught.

"So – what was that earlier about?" Jeff asked, propping up a cushion behind his back to get comfortable, "About the guy from your former glee-club?"

Nick had returned alone to their dorm, carefully balancing six pizza cartons. He was still proud that he made it without dropping anything, even though he couldn't see where he was going at all. Kurt hadn't returned until twenty minutes later, when most of the pizza had vanished and all the other guys were back to belting out the lyrics of various _Maroon 5_ songs.

"I walked Sam back to his car," Kurt began, biting into a cookie.

"Oh oh. You're not going to tell us that you cheated on Blaine in the parking lot, are you?" Nick asked, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Jeff looked scandalised, "Kurt, tell me you didn't. Your relationship with Blaine is basically the only thing that makes me believe there is good in the world. Besides – the parking lot is a _very_ clichéd place to cheat on your boyfriend."

"Shut up, both of you," Kurt said slowly. His gaze was fixed on a spot next to the window, his expression troubled. Nick and Jeff shared a concerned glance.

"Did something happen?" Nick inquired gently. Kurt seemed to contemplate for a moment before shrugging, "Well, he asked me not to tell anybody, but you're not the New Directions."

"And we can keep a secret," Jeff assured, which made Kurt roll his eyes, "That was implied in my former statement, Jeff."

He shifted, causing the blanket he snuggled into to slide off his shoulders.

"Let's just say his family is facing some financial trouble at the moment, and he has to help out."

"Serious trouble?" Nick asked. Kurt nodded, "It seems like that, yes."

There was a moment of silence between the three boys, either one thinking about what to say next.

"Is there any way we can help?" Nick asked eventually. Sure, he didn't know the other boy very well and doubted that he actually could do something – but he could at least offer.

"I was thinking about that too," Kurt answered. "But it's kinda hard to help while being so far away from McKinley, and with him refusing to talk about it with Mr. Schue or any of the other guys."

Nick nodded, but Jeff was frowning at Kurt's statement in confusion, "Why doesn't he want to talk about it? I mean, they're his friends, right?"

Kurt smiled at the blonde boy, apparently finding Jeff's naivety endearing. "Things are different over there. It's hard to tell who's friend and who's foe on a daily basis." He shifted again, balancing his mug on his left knee now. "I understand why he doesn't want them to know. He doesn't want their pity, and he doesn't want them to be constantly looking at him and thinking 'Oh, there's the poor guy whose family lost everything and can't afford anything anymore'."

Nick didn't have to turn his head – he could feel Jeff's gaze on him nonetheless. None of the other Warblers knew that Nick's parents decided to get a divorce this autumn – except for Jeff and Wes. Jeff had been the first one he had called after receiving the news, and he had had to explain at least to one council member why he had missed three rehearsals in September.

Even though there had been no explicit drama between his parents and the marriage had ended on rational terms rather than in emotional outbursts (his dad had moved out but was living not too far away, and was still spending a lot of time with Nick and his sister), for Nick it was still horribly hard to talk about. And he could perfectly well relate to what Kurt was saying – even though he considered his friends at Dalton his second family, what he wanted most was normality: people _not_ asking every day how he was feeling, whether he was okay, whether he needed anything...

"But you'll let us know _if_ there's something we can do?" Jeff asked, interrupting Nick's train of thought. Kurt smiled and nodded, bringing his mug up to his lips once more.

Abruptly, he sat it down again, nearly spilling the light brown liquid over Blaine's navy-blue sheets, his narrowed eyes fixed on the blonde boy sitting on the bed across the room.

"Who are you dating?"

Nick sighed. By the time he had gotten back to the dorm, Kurt had forgotten about Jeff's love life – but only temporarily, it seemed. Jeff looked startled for merely a second before he caught on to what Kurt was referring to and laughed, "My, you are _one_ curious Warbler, Kurt."

"Is it a girl or a guy?"

Jeff grinned and pretended to think about it for a moment before saying, "A guy."

"Do I know him?"

Taking an enormous pleasure in Kurt's impatience and curiosity, Jeff also contemplated that question for a moment, before answering, "Yes... yes, I believe you do."

"Does he go to Dalton?"

"Indeed he does."

"Who is it?"

"Now, I think I answered three questions tonight, I believe that's enough."

Kurt made a very irritated, high-pitched noise at the back of his throat, and turned to Nick, "Is he in the Warblers?"

Startled, Nick looked at Kurt, his dark eyes betraying his uneasiness, "Why do you think _I_ am authorized to answer these questions?"

Kurt just huffed indignantly, "Because you're Jeff's best friend and you two gossip about everything?"

The brunette boy turned to his best friend for help, but Jeff only grinned and said, "You have to admit: his reasoning makes sense."

"I don't see why_ I_ need to be on the chopping block for _your_ date," Nick argued, but the blonde boy only shrugged and leaned over his best friend's legs to grab a cookie from the plate sitting on the floor, "I could offer a few explanations for that, but I think I'll settle for: we're in this together."

Nick scoffed and kicked Jeff's shin before turning to Kurt, "I'm not answering any questions regarding Jeff's love life. All parties directly concerned by the topic are present – knock yourself out."

Kurt's smile was decidedly evil when he said, "Well, we can always talk about your love-life, Nicholas."

Nick's reply was a very, very loud yawn, "I'm feeling rather tired, therefore I believe I will be going to sleep now..."

He was interrupted by the door which opened slowly, revealing a very sleepy looking Blaine. He blinked against the bright light, eyes almost shut, apparently trying to make sense of his surroundings.

"Blaine, I thought you were asleep in the other room," Kurt said, already crawling over the bed to reach out for his boyfriend. The smitten tone in his voice indicated that he found sleepy Blaine utterly adorable, which made Nick roll his eyes. Sleepy boys lose their charm when they try to kick or bite you in the morning, not to mention the snoring and drooling. Only the fact that he was not boarding at Dalton had kept Kurt in blissful ignorance until now.

"I woke up, and you were gone," Blaine said, his very low, throaty voice telling Nick that the boy was asleep on his feet and would presumably not remember how he got back to his room when he woke up in the morning.

When Kurt grasped his boyfriend's hand and tugged, Blaine crawled into bed and, after snuggling up against his boyfriend's stomach, fell asleep immediately. Kurt ran his fingers lovingly through Blaine's dark curls, a mushy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Nick turned to Jeff, determined to share a look-at-how-annoying-these-two-lovebirds-are-eye-roll, but his best friend was eyeing the door intently, apparently thinking about something.

"Do you believe we could get back to our room, get rid of the other guys and reclaim our beds?" Jeff asked hopefully. Nick snorted, "Even with Blaine gone, there are still four more guys occupying our beds, Jeff."

"Right. Drat."

They would have come up with a solution on how to get their dorm back eventually, Nick was sure of that – but Kurt insisted that it was downright rude to continue talking when somebody wanted to sleep. Jeff's and Nick's argument that Blaine would have probably slept through a concert performance of Verdi or an invasion of very loud and obnoxious aliens was in vain – Kurt firmly bade them good night and turned off the lights, ignoring the mumbled protests from the bed on the other side of the room.

And despite all the things that could have kept Kurt up at night – snuggling up in sheets that smelled like his boyfriend, his fingers intertwined with Blaine's, his nose buried deeply into the crook of his boyfriends neck, and the regular breathing of two close friends nearby managed to lull him into a deep sleep.

So deep that he did not notice when Nick kicked Jeff out of the bed in his sleep.

And, luckily, thanks to the fact that Blaine wasn't the only one among those four who slept like the dead, neither did Jeff.

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><p><em>AN: Yes. Fluff galore. But the next chapter will be full of yelling and misunderstanding and not understanding and it's Christmas and it's cold outside and I'm in the mood for fluff. Also, yes, nothing's really happening, it's merely a filler chapter. But I was actually glad for some space to develop the Nikuff friendship – which will now be even harder to break apart in the next chapter. _

_Not truly satisfied with this chapter, but it won't get any better and I don't want you to wait as terribly long as you did for the last two updates.  
><em>

_As to who Jeff is truly dating - to use the words every glee-actor uses most often: Your guess is as good as mine. =D_

_Reviews are, as always, so very very much appreciated!  
><em>

_I wish you all a merry Christmas, a happy Chanukkah, a glorious Kwanzaa or a gleeful whateverelse you are celebrating, and to those who don't celebrate anything: happy holidays! =D  
><em>

_~Nalasan  
><em>


	9. Born This Way

_**Disclaimer: This story is for non-profit use and reader's enjoyment only. All creative rights concerning Glee, its characters and any sayings and/or lyrics quoted here belong to their original creator(s)/artist(s).**_

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><p><em>"They spoil every romance by trying to make it last forever." ~ Oscar Wilde<em>

_"That is the land of lost content, I see it shining plain, the happy highways where I went and cannot come again." ~ Alfred Edward Housman_

_"Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts." ~ Charles Dickens_

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><p>"I can't believe that he's <em>actually<em> doing this to us!"

"Will you just _please_ sit down and let us talk about this reasonably?"

Blaine carefully balanced the pile of books he was carrying while he slowed his walk and concentrated very hard on catching every word that came from behind the wooden door of dorm number 23.

Usually, the late afternoons and early evenings were the quietest times in the hallways that connected the dorms which belonged to the boarding Dalton students. On normal days, this was the period in which everyone tried to get at least some homework done before giving up to chat, waste some time online, play videogames, read or visit other dorms in search of more creative ways to procrastinate any thoughts about the looming piles of work on their desks.

Well, today was not a normal day at Dalton.

Several teachers had wondered about the odd behaviour some of their best students had displayed during that day. There had been many disturbances during the lessons (well, more than usual), such as passing notes and whispered conversations. Wes had been caught staring out of the window, not listening to the repeated questions of his teacher for several minutes. Thom had for the first time in his entire life not shown the slightest interest in the discussion of a Shakespearian drama, but had instead spend an hour absentmindedly sketching random pictures on his notebook. And Flint and Nathan had eventually been thrown out of the classroom because they would not stop talking to each other in not-so-very-hushed voices.

If the teachers had cared to compare the names of the students behaving oddly, they would have come to the realisation that the strange behaviour had been exclusively connected to students belonging to the school's glee club. But then again, whenever has a teacher thought of anything sensible?

"We _will_ keep in touch with him."

"Yeah right. Like the guys from _his_ former glee club stayed in touch with _him_ while he was here?"

"Jeff, he is not like them."

"Exactly. So for what reason should he return to them?"

Blaine, who had stopped in front of the door, his head tilted to the side to catch every word, realised that his mouth was slightly hanging open, and he quickly closed it again. In all the time he had known Nick and Jeff, he had never once seen (or heard) them fight like that. If they ever had any misunderstandings (and, like everybody else, they most likely did), they always sorted them out in private.

"Jeff, for Christ's sake, stop yelling, sit and calm down."

"I don't want to calm down. I want to know why one of my best friends decides to leave us practically from one day to another!"

Blaine took a deep breath, steadied the pile of books again and then hesitantly knocked on the door. The upset noises quieted down for a moment, until Jeff's voice, with a hint of aggression still audible in it, answered, "Yes?"

Blaine opened the door and peeked into the dorm. Nick was sitting on the edge of his bed, his fingers curled into the fabric of his blazer. He was biting down on his bottom lip, brows furrowed and a worried expression on his face, but apart from that he still appeared to be relatively calm. Jeff, on the other hand, was looking anything but calm. His cheeks were flushed, his hair looked as if he had been running his fingers through it several times and his tie and blazer never would have passed Wes' strict Warbler-dress-code. Blaine was sure that he hadn't seen somebody looking this upset since Nathan had sewed the sleeves of Thad's blazer together, and the poor boy had tried for several minutes to get his arms out of the thusly created straightjacket, before Adrian had managed to stop laughing and had helped him.

But both of them looked equally surprised to see their lead vocalist stepping into their room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Blaine said, carefully closing the door behind him, "but I overheard what you were talking about, and I thought maybe I could... could explain why Kurt is doing what he's doing."

"Well, yeah," Jeff began, his furious glance now directed at Blaine, "you could explain to me why your boyfriend decided to just bail on us and run back into the arms of his non-loving, non-caring glee-club; to a school where he has been bullied to a point that he saw no other option but to leave; when he has friends and a boyfriend and good teachers and acceptance here and even our council showed how much they respect him and his talent by giving him a fucking solo at Regionals!"

"Jeff!" Nick's voice, hissed and now sounding decidedly upset, stopped the rant of the blond boy. Jeff turned away from Blaine and looked at his best friend instead. Their eyes locked for a brief moment, and after a second Jeff was the one to look away first, sighing and running his finger through his blond bangs.

"I'm sorry, Blaine," Jeff said, inhaling deeply and sitting down on his desk, not caring that he was wrinkling the stack of paper he was sitting on. His voice didn't sound angry anymore, now, it just sounded tired and disappointed. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. But when you told us this afternoon... I just feel so backstabbed. I mean, couldn't he at least tell us this himself?"

"He wanted to," Blaine assured, "But he and his dad had to meet with the headmaster to discuss some administrative things, and he couldn't make it. And then he called me and asked me to tell you because the decision has been made and it would have been really unfair not to tell you guys right away and..."

"I know, I know," Jeff said, waving his hand at Blaine, "You told us all that. I _understand_ why he couldn't be there. It just... it still _feels_ awful."

Blaine nodded. He knew how much Kurt would have hated to deliver the news in person and to be at the centre of the rather emotional scene that followed, in which the council had been _very_ pissed, Jeff and Nick and Trent had looked _very_ devastated, Adrian and Nathan had been _very_ displeased and Blaine had felt like a complete jerk.

But as much as Kurt would have hated that scene, if it had been possible he would have delivered the news himself. As he had told Blaine on the phone, he knew that he "owed them at least this much."

"How are _you_?" Nick asked, interrupting Blaine's thoughts. His gaze trailed over Blaine's face, the question full of genuine concern. Blaine shrugged and opened his mouth to answer, "I'm f..."

"Don't you dare to say that!" Jeff interrupted, his gaze also fixed on their lead vocalist, "Don't you dare to claim you're _fine_ when I know I haven't seen you this upset since your drunken bisexual experiment."

The expression on Nick's face showed very clearly that he wished for the umpteenth time that Jeff would try to express himself in a less direct way, but after all, Jeff was right: Blaine knew that he was anything but fine – and he also knew that it showed.

He just wouldn't have expected the two boys, who were so caught up in their own emotions right now, to notice.

"It's just that... it just happened so very fast," he said, sitting down on Jeff's bed next to Nick. "I mean, we talked about this. Quite a lot, actually. McKinley and the glee club are, strangely enough, where he feels most at home. He loves Dalton, but just from an artistic point of view – he's miserable. And I thought that maybe he would want to transfer back in autumn, start his senior year there, when he had enough time to think about everything, you know – sort things out and talk to his friends there about it. I even thought about maybe transferring with him. But now this? I mean, it feels like he will be gone from one day to the next."

Blaine didn't notice that Jeff had left his place at the desk to sit down next to him. He just stared down at the books he was still holding in his hands, wondering when his voice had started to sound so hoarse, "It's just... I know I will miss him terribly."

Suddenly, he felt two hands on his back – Jeff's long fingers were squeezing his shoulder reassuringly, and Nick was rubbing small circles on his back in a comforting manner. Blaine cleared his throat, blinking away any tears that might have found their way into his eyes. He told himself that if he had managed not to cry when Kurt had told him about his final decision, he would certainly not start crying in front of these two.

"Does he really want to go back that much?" Nick asked quietly, still rubbing Blaine's back. Blaine nodded, "He likes Dalton, he likes the Warblers, but he misses the craziness at McKinley." He tried to smile, "Apparently, we're too tame for him."

"Where was he last week, when Wes and Thad yelled at each other for half an hour because they could not agree on whether jumping on furniture during rehearsal was to be ruled out in the Warblers rulebook? I mean, that was one pointless fight if I ever witnessed one," Jeff remarked, and Nick added, "Especially since nobody _ever_ reads the rulebook."

Blaine simply shook his head, "It's not just that. It's about artistic expression, I believe. We're too limited in our song selection, in our way of performing..."

"Well, that may or may not be true," Nick interrupted gently. "But this is not just about Kurt's freedom as an artist, this is about his safety, about his mental and physical well-being. Is he really willing to risk that?"

Blaine nodded slowly, gaze fixed on his hands again, "Apparently, he is. He said he wanted to stand up for himself. That he didn't want to hide any longer." He cleared his throat. "As much as I understand that – I can't say I'm not worried."

There was a pause in which neither of the boys said a word, all of them deep in thought.

Finally, Jeff asked, "When will he be transferring?"

"He goes back on Monday," Blaine answered, with only the slightest quiver noticeable in his voice. "The administration stuff has been taken care of, and all the teachers have been informed as well."

Jeff looked quite shocked at hearing this assessment, "This soon?"

"He said the longer the parting, the more painful it would be for all of us."

"But he'll still come to school tomorrow, won't he?" Nick inquired. He had French lessons on Fridays together with Kurt and had hoped to see the countertenor one last time in class.

Blaine nodded, "He will, but I'm not sure if he will attend Warbler practice. Maybe he'll just head home – his family has a lot to talk about."

Jeff nodded with a gloomy expression on his face, and again neither of them said anything for a long moment.

"... what are _you_ doing on the weekend?" Nick asked suddenly.

Blaine raised his head to look at the dark-haired boy next to him, blinking at the question in surprise.

"I mean, are you going home or did you make any plans with Kurt, or...?" Nick trailed off.

His brows knitted in confusion at the unrelated question, Blaine thought about it for a moment before answering, "I planned on staying here for the weekend. My parents aren't home anyways, so... Maybe I'll drive over to Kurt's, I'm not... I mean, not tomorrow though, he always has family dinners on Friday night." He looked at Nick, "Why?"

"I was just wondering," Nick answered, shrugging. "After the karaoke party was such a tremendous success last time, we were thinking about throwing another one this weekend."

Since Blaine was still looking at Nick, he missed how Jeff leaned around him, looking irritated and mouthing "We were?" at his best friend.

Nick continued undisturbed, "And Nathan actually asked whether we wanted to come over tomorrow night and have a _Terminator_ movie marathon. Apparently Thom has never seen any of those films, and Nathan made it his mission to educate the poor boy. You wanna come too?"

Blaine smiled shyly. He had always gotten along rather well with all of the Warblers, and was even friends with most of them, but he had never had that good a relationship with neither Nick nor Jeff. Which was mostly because the two sometimes seemed like their own company was sufficient, like they didn't need anybody else. It was only after Kurt had befriended them that they started to hang out with him too, and their relationship had reached some sort of bizarre climax during his awkward yet emotional encounter with Jeff on the topic on his suspected bisexuality.

Even though he hadn't given the matter much thought (mostly because the dreading departure of his boyfriend had occupied his mind), Blaine realised that he hadn't anticipated to still spend that much time with Nick and Jeff after Kurt had left. Sure, somebody would have invited him to the party eventually – but just a few weeks ago, it never would have been Nick or Jeff.

It only now occurred to him that the two Warblers sitting next to him were not only considering him as fellow classmate and glee club leader and the boyfriend of their beloved countertenor any longer, but also as a friend by now.

And he realised that his feeling was mutual.

"I'd love that," he said, smiling almost brightly at the two boys in front of him. Because it was good to be reminded that even though Kurt would not be around anymore, he was far from being alone.

* * *

><p>Nick stared at his coffee in amazement, wondering whether it was the hot temperature which never failed to spread warmth through his entire body, or the deep invigorating taste of the beverage that always made people feel better when they drank coffee.<p>

"If he thinks it's enough to treat us for coffee so that we'll just forget about what happened and carry on, he is utterly and completely and horribly mistaken."

But then again, Nick thought and raised his coffee to his lips, Jeff had never exactly been "people".

"I mean, it's good that he called and said he wanted to talk to us, but I'm still pissed about this whole thing and I'm not sure whether I _want_ to understand him in the first place..."

"Jeff," Nick interrupted his best friend, squeezing his knee gently. "Calm down, will you? Give him a chance to explain everything."

The blond Warbler sighed, his hand coming to rest upon Nick's, "I'm not sure I _can_ do it, but I'll try."

Nick smiled at him when Kurt dropped his bag on the seat opposite from them, setting his cup down on the table and smiling nervously at them. "Sorry," he said. "But it took a bit longer..."

"Don't worry," Nick answered, smiling at the countertenor. As awkward as this rather formal meeting between them was, he was determined to make the best of it. He even tried to ignore the fact that Kurt wasn't wearing his Dalton uniform any longer, but instead sported a pair of skinny jeans and a grey jacket. As fabulous as he looked, it was a clear sign that Kurt's decision to leave Dalton was a final one. And even though his stomach twisted a little at the thought, Nick tried his best to brush the feeling _and_ Jeff's frown aside and asked, "So, how are you?"

Kurt first looked at Nick, then at Jeff, before leaning back into his seat, his gaze steady but his fingers fiddling with his cup of coffee nervously, before apparently deciding that it would be to no use to beat around the bush and asked, "How mad are you at me?"

Deciding that a direct question always deserved an honest answer, Jeff replied before Nick had any time to react, "Pretty mad, actually. Well, in my case. Nick is trying very hard not to judge you. _Yet_. But I'd say were both pissed."

"It's all just rather... sudden," Nick added. "And of course we would have liked to hear the news from you in person, rather than having Blaine deliver them."

It was only when he caught the confused look on Kurt's face and he turned his head to the right that he realised that Jeff's angry gaze was now directed at him instead of Kurt. "Okay Nick, I can't stand it any longer. I get that you feel the urge to act mature and grown-up because for some reason that is your natural self-defence-mechanism, but can you please stop pretending that you aren't hurt as hell by all this? Because it makes me want to scream!"

Nick returned Jeff's look, opening his mouth to reply something. After a brief moment of staring at his best friend, he closed it again, shook his head and turned to Kurt, asking, "Why couldn't you tell us about this yourself, Kurt?"

The countertenor was looking at Nick with an expression on his face that was somewhere between guilty and defensive, "I didn't have the time to come to the rehearsal, Nick. My father and I were talking to the headmaster for two hours, but I wanted you to know right away. That's why I told Blaine to tell you."

"We have cellphones, you know?" Jeff said dryly. "Not just Blaine, but all of us. You could have called. Or come over later. Cause I don't know if you noticed, but as boarders we actually stay at school the whole night."

Kurt took a deep breath, reaching for his coffee and taking a sip before answering, "I hate these things, Jeff. I absolutely hate them. And... I was afraid to call. Because I thought that there was no way you wouldn't be mad at me."

"Funny, I never took you for a coward," Jeff replied.

Kurt bit down on his lower lip, taking a second before answering, "I just felt bad. Because I thought, that... leaving you like this makes it seem like I don't care about you guys at all."

"Letting _Blaine_ tell us instead of showing up yourself made us feel like you don't care about us at all," Jeff replied, his voice harsh. Nick saw that Kurt's eyes started to look suspiciously glazed over, and added, "Look, Kurt. We're not... _mad_ at you, not even Jeff, not really." Jeff shot him an annoyed glance and opened his mouth to protest again, only to be cut off by Nick, "Shut up, you aren't. You're _pissed_, that's something else. Kurt, we're just really disappointed, and yes, hurt that we had to hear it from Blaine."

Kurt nodded, his gaze shifting down to his fingers which were starting to fiddle with the hem of his jacket, "I know. And I'm sorry."

"Why do you want to go back there in the first place?" Jeff blurted out, finally voicing the underlying question of their discussion. "Is it because you want to compete at Nationals? Because I try to think of a reason why you would go back to that hell-hole of a public school, and I try to come up with a _good_ reason, but I keep coming back to this."

Kurt was silent for a minute, apparently thinking about his answer. Finally, he shook his head, "I would lie if I told you that being able to compete at Nationals isn't a factor in all this, because frankly, it is. I have been dreaming about going to Nationals for so long, and yes, it does make it easier to go back. So, when I'm being completely honest with myself – it has its importance. But if you ask me whether it was the reason for going back, I would have to say no."

"Then what _is_ the reason?" Nick asked. "Is it because you miss your friends? Or because you're not truly happy with being in the Warblers?"

"All that has something to do with it as well, I guess," Kurt replied, setting his coffee down on the table again, "But this is not just about artistic freedom or having the opportunity to perform at Nationals, Nick. I'm tired of running. I don't want to have to hide any longer. You know, real life out there isn't what it is like here. And I will have to face the real world someday. We'll all have to. And I don't want to run anymore. I want to take a stand – against bullies, against homophobia, but most of all against that giant wall of ignorance. And," he was smiling now, a sad, ironic smile, "McKinley really is the perfect place to start."

"As much as I admire this," Nick answered slowly, "Kurt, we're worried about you. I mean, I get that you want to stand up and help but – do you have any idea what you were like when you came here? You jumped at every loud sound, you looked like you anticipated somebody to hit you any minute, you were constantly on edge. Do you know how hard it is for people who care about you to watch you go back to the people who did this to you?"

Kurt looked at him, his eyes glazed over, "I know Nick. I know all that. Don't you think I already had this discussion with my father – and with Blaine? Several times with both of them, actually?" He cleared his throat, before looking at his coffee. Jeff was shaking his head, apparently trying to grasp what Kurt was telling them, "I still don't get it Kurt. I mean, maybe I don't have to get it – it's your life, and you're entitled to make your own choices and all that. But do you think that going back will really change anything?"

"Maybe not for them," Kurt replied quietly, his eyes still fixed on the spot where the barista had scribbled down his name on the coffee cup, "But it will make a difference for me." He looked up to meet the genuinely concerned glances of the two Warblers who in the six months he had spend at that school had managed to become two of his closest friends, "Look, I know you're worried, and I don't want you to be. And I hate that going back again means leaving something that has become very important to me. But I feel that I need to do this. For people like me, but mostly – for myself."

Nick wanted to point out that Kurt was just seventeen, that maybe he should concentrate on getting through high school and leaving puberty behind, before he started changing the world – but then again, Kurt was much more mature than all the other boys Nick knew. And in the end, what could one say in the face of idealism?

"I think _what_ you're doing has a point," Nick finally said, the right corner of his mouth turning into a bitter smile. "I just wished you weren't the one doing it."

Kurt's smile was as bittersweet, but he still tried to joke about it, "Well, with me gone, you don't have to waste time during rehearsals with discussing clothing choices anymore."

Jeff snorted, "Are you kidding? Firstly, Blaine totally caught onto that, so don't think we'll have nobody objecting to the uniform when you're gone. And secondly, even if Blaine keeps quiet – you know those guys. I'm sure they will always find something ridiculous to fight about."

"I don't think you're taking topics like whether the act of winking at a girl in the audience should be met with penalties, especially – though not exclusively – when she is related to a council member, serious enough, Warbler Jeffrey," Kurt said, his tone dangerously close to the one Wes used whenever he felt the need to scold somebody, "You might want to work on that."

Nick chuckled, then looked over his coffee at the younger boy in front of him. "We'll miss you, Kurt."

The countertenor tilted his head to the side, eyeing the two boys questioningly, "Does that mean you're no longer mad at me?"

"No," Jeff replied, "It means we're still pissed about all this and still think it's not a good idea to transfer back, but we love you and will miss you nonetheless."

That made Kurt smile, and it was his first genuinely happy smile since he had sat down on the table. "I don't deserve you two," he said.

"True," Jeff answered, "but I don't deserve Nick either, and he still has been by my side for two years."

"And nobody will ever deserve Wes," Nick added, "But we'll still have to put up with him and his gavel-banging ways."

Kurt grinned, before his expression got serious again, "You'll take care of Blaine, won't you?"

"Naturally," Jeff answered. "We'll keep an eye on him. Well, we and twelve other Warblers, that is."

Nick grinned, remembering how the other Warblers had all expressed their concerns about Blaine yesterday. Thad had gone up to his dorm to check whether he was okay three times, David had knocked five times, and Nathan had stepped by every quarter of an hour until Blaine's roommate James had yelled (loud enough for everyone on the corridor to hear) that Blaine was _fine_ and he was not living _alone_ and if _something_ happened he'd make sure to call on every Warbler personally but he would love to get some homework done and if there would be one more disturbance he would be forced to throw something at that somebody. Nick still felt sorry for Trent, who didn't live on the same corridor and who had just happened to knock on the door five minutes later because he had wanted to borrow James' math book.

"So, Nationals," Nick said, leaning back into his chair. "Have you decided on a set-list yet?"

Kurt chuckled humourlessly, "Oh, Nick. One thing I will definitely miss horribly is the council's organisation. It surpasses the one of Mr. Schue by light-years." His gaze travelled downwards to where Nick's arm disappeared beneath the table, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously, "By the way, are you two holding hands?" he asked.

"Don't be ridiculous," Nick answered, feeling the warmth of Jeff's fingers immediately disappear from his palm. "And don't try to change the subject, Kurt. Since we're not in competition anyways, I'd really like to hear about what fashion choices you plan to pester to your new... old... now this is weird. Your glee-club with."

"And I think I could use another round of coffee," Jeff said, "And maybe some biscotti to go with it. You're still paying, right?"

And when Kurt rolled his eyes but grabbed his wallet anyways, Nick smiled. Because he felt that, even though he was still a bit mad, and even though he still didn't fully understand and even less approved of Kurt's decision, maybe it would still be alright. Somehow.

* * *

><p>"Okay, wait a second. Didn't we all agree that while the GAP-attack was as much fun as it was embarrassing, it was not something that would be repeated?"<p>

"It's not a second GAP-attack."

"Yeah, but it's close."

"I think this is pure madness."

"No, it isn't. It's just very, very romantic."

"Well, I think we're going to get beaten up for this."

"Oh, come on. Do you really believe somebody wants to mess with fifteen boys at once?"

"Fifteen blazer-wearing, a-capella-singing guys who are serenading another guy? Actually yes, I can see how that could tempt somebody."

"God, what's with you guys? Stop being such cowards! The idea is cute, the song is good and we didn't have the opportunity to properly say goodbye to Kurt. I'm in favour of Blaine's proposal."

"Thanks Trent."

"Anytime, Blaine."

"As much as I appreciate your idea, Warbler Blaine: when exactly should we schedule this performance? We have classes on Monday, and it would certainly not be good for the Warbler's reputation if we missed..."

"Oh Wes, _come on_. The headmaster adores you. Explain the situation and we're sure to get permission for this."

"Yeah. And even if we don't – I'm pretty sure Nick can charm us out of French."

"Nathan? Shut up!"

* * *

><p>"Wait!"<p>

Nick was the first one to turn around. After their performance, they had followed Wes' instructions regarding a quick departing, keeping Blaine's words in mind: "We just want to say goodbye. Please, no lingering behind, no Do-you-really-have-to-leave, no making Kurt cry in front of his whole school. We just perform, and afterwards we leave."

Nick had watched how the no-making-Kurt-cry-plan failed epically when the countertenor had hugged his boyfriend, but apart from that they had stuck with the plan and vanished silently after the performance.

And now, standing in front of their cars in the McKinley parking lot, Nick saw Kurt hurrying towards them. Blaine, who had been walking next to Jeff at the end of the group, had barely the time to turn around before Kurt had already tackled him, burying his nose deeply in Blaine's blazer and hugging the other boy so tightly that he almost lifted him off the ground.

Apparently, he said something, but it was muffled by Blaine's blazer so that neither Jeff nor Nick, who were standing close by, could understand it. Blaine, however, seemed to be able to make sense of the mumbling.

While gently stroking Kurt's hair, careful not to mess up the meticulous styling, he said, "We thought it would be better if we left and spared you the long goodbye. I know how much you hate them."

At that, Kurt raised his head from Blaine's shoulder, his cheeks still a little damp, but his eyes sparkling with determination as he glared at his boyfriend, "I said I'm never saying goodbye to you, Blaine. But I will most certainly say goodbye _and_ thank you to my other friends."

Nick felt Jeff's hand tugging on his sleeve and reached out to squeeze it briefly, his eyes following Kurt as he said his goodbye to each Warbler.

He shook hands with Adrian, Flint and Jason, laughing when Adrian said that it would be quiet without him. Nathan didn't give him a chance for a handshake – he hugged the countertenor briefly and tightly, ruffling his hair (not caring, like Blaine, that he positively destroyed any effort Kurt had made in styling it) and remarked that whenever those public-school-fatheads behaved like idiots again, he knew who to call.

Thom received a smile and a friendly pat on the shoulder, and so did Trevor. Trent also hugged him, though not as fiercely as Nathan, and then stepped back, rummaging his pockets for a tissue.

When Kurt stood before the three council members, Wes smiled fondly at the former Warbler, offering his hand and saying, "Thank you for everything, Kurt."

Kurt looked at the taller boy, not taking the offered hand yet, "I have to thank you. For letting me sing at Regionals. For becoming my friends." He smiled, "For putting up with me."

That made all the council members grin simultaneously.

"I believe I'm speaking for all of us when I say that we learned much from each other," Wes said. "We will miss you, Kurt. But we understand that this is where you belong, and we're happy for you."

Kurt nodded, and shook hands with Wes, while David and Thad patted him on his shoulders.

Finally, he stood in front of Nick and Jeff. He looked at Nick, then turned his head to look at Jeff before he took a step forward, throwing his arms around both boys.

"I'm not saying goodbye to you two either," his voice said, somewhere between Nicks right shoulder and Jeff's left elbow. "Promise me you'll take care of him?"

Nick smiled reassuringly (which Kurt could not see) and patted the taller boy's back.

"I doubt it will be necessary because he's handling it like a grown-up, but we have an emergency-plan which involves lots of distracting activities, chocolate bars under this pillow and in his socks and James calling us if he starts to feel Kurt-sick overnight."

He took a step back, tentatively tangling himself out of Kurt's embrace, "Besides, it's not like you're moving to another planet, or even another country. It's just a two-hour-distance, and you'll visit Blaine on the weekend anyways. Let's not make that big a drama out of it."

Kurt raised his left eyebrow at that last statement, and then looked pointedly at Jeff, who was occupied with wiping his nose with the sleeve of his Dalton blazer.

Nick could have sworn he heard Wes hiss.

Stepping back from the two boys, Kurt opened his mouth just to close it again, apparently unable to voice whatever it was he wanted to say.

"I think your classes are starting," Nick reminded him gently. "Call us tonight and tell us how your first day went?"

The younger boy nodded, obviously relieved to escape the emotional scene. Before he turned around to hug his boyfriend again, he smiled at the two boys he had grown so fond of over the last few months, saying, "No matter what happens – you'll always have each other."

Blaine hugged Kurt one last time, not looking like he ever wanted to let him go. Kurt whispered something in his ear, kissed Blaine's cheek (which was a rare sight since the two of them weren't exactly known for public displays of affection), and then, with a last smile and an awkward wave of his right hand, he turned around and hurried towards the building.

Blaine looked after him, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth but his eyes looking very sad and tear-filled.

"Come on, oh fearless leader," Jeff said, putting an arm around Blaine's shoulder and nudging him in the direction of the cars, "Let's get some post-performance-pizza."

"I think not, Warbler Jeff," Wes answered, his tone indicating that he was still pissed about how Jeff had treated his blazer. "We arranged to get this morning off in order to say goodbye to former Warbler Kurt, but I can assure you that we are expected to be back at lunchtime the latest."

Nearly all of the Warblers rolled their eyes at that, but it was only fifteen minutes later, when Nathan decided to disobey Wes' lunchtime-at-Dalton-rule and drove Jeff, Nick, Blaine and Trent to the nearest pizza-place, that Nick realised that he wasn't nearly as sad as he would have expected to be.

But when he looked at the other people in the car, when he saw Nathan singing along loudly to some REM song on the radio, and Trent occasionally chiming in, when he saw Jeff giving his best impression of what Wes would say when he discovered that they would not be showing up for lunch, and Blaine, who was still looking a bit sad, but who was chuckling at Jeff nonetheless, he knew that this wasn't because he was unfeeling or indifferent to Kurt's departure. He was glad to have made such an amazing friend, and even though things would certainly change now, they would somehow deal with that.

Nick smiled when Jeff turned to him, nudging his shoulder and demanding his fair share of applause for what had been "my best fucking impression ever."

Because, after all, what Kurt had said was true.

No matter what happened – they would always have each other.

* * *

><p><em>"Of all the things which wisdom provides to make life entirely happy, much the greatest is the possession of friendship." ~ Epicurus<em>

_"No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth." ~ Robert Southey_

_"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." ~ Seneca_

**THE END (?)**

* * *

><p><em>AN Oh dear Lord. I can't believe I actually finished this story. I'm terribly sorry it took so long, but I think I wrote this chapter three or four times, because I just wasn't satisfied with it. In the end, I accepted that there really is no satisfying explanation for why Kurt would transfer back. I first wrote a longer rant about why it doesn't make any sense - but I think Jeff sums it up rather nicely in here._

_Why did I choose for Kurt not to tell the Warblers in person? Yes, he is a strong, independent character, but he makes mistakes. I'd like to point out the ending of _Furt_: If that's how he handles goodbyes with his "family", I don't think it'll be better with the Warblers. I believe Season3Kurt might have done it differently. But I think it's not unrealistic to assume that this is what Season2Kurt would have done. _

_So far to the problems I had with this chapter (and episode), but anyways – it's done!_

_Oh, and to those who wanted to know who Jeff is dating – I'd like to leave that to your imagination. If you'd like to believe Niff has happened in here – sure. If you think they're just friends (cuddly, close friends) – right there with you. I kept it ambiguous on purpose, and I hope you'll forgive me. _

_If you don't – there's a 20-page-Christmas-special-sequel to this which I will upload on Friday. It was originally a Christmas present, but I couldn't upload it before I had finished this baby. And I keep thinking about doing a multi-chaptered-sequel...  
><em>

_To all my wonderful readers and reviewers – thank you so much! I really hope you enjoyed the last chapter, and I'm so very grateful that you put up with me and my horribly laziness regarding updates. Please let me know what you think of this last chapter – or of the story as a whole._

_~ Nalasan_


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